3-time defending champ Park likely to miss Women’s PGA cut

“It’s my fourth one and ended up being the auto hole and (took me to) 4-under so it was a good set”.

“I think I get to appreciate it much more because everything that has happened in the last month. We’ve still got a long 18 holes to go”.

Park’s score of 1-over 72 didn’t really matter.

The seven-time major champion trailed leader Brooke Henderson by five shots, but was only three shots out of second place after the first round.

Chasing her third straight major, Ko collected two birdies on the front nine before mixing two bogeys with another birdie on her run home. It wasn’t the first time in her young career she had frittered away a victory.

Ko said concentrating on her own game would be the order of the final day.

“I don’t have (a car)”, said Brittany, “so I’m really excited”. “It’s so important to hit fairways”.

But she struggled on the 18th and made her second bogey of the day after pulling her second shot into a big tree short and left of the green, and then missing a 20-foot putt to save par. If her thumb was throbbing, her face did not let on. “Right now, I just have to do my best to battle this (injury) each and every day”. Yang went out in 32 and was 6 under for her round after a birdie at No. 15, before dropping a shot on the 16th.

Ko’s touch around the greens was exceptional, highlighted by a superb flop shot from deep rough and a four-foot par-saving putt on the 16th hole as she tried to maintain momentum late in her round. “It gave me a boost going into some tough holes”. “I knew I kind of had to grind out there today”. “I’m not going to hit it as far as I usually do”. “It was really frustrating and disanointing that I couldn’t get the right swing to work”.

As a result of her shaky display, Park moved to nine over for the tournament and fell outside the cut line. Both her husband, Gi Hyeob Nam, and LPGA Tour commissioner Michael Whan brought her a bouquet of flowers.

And, if Ko survives, she’ll not only make LPGA history, she may officially take the mantle of the tour from Inbee Park.

Park said she will be on the tee Friday morning to continue in the tournament. “It’s the utmost gift that I’ve had as a professional golfer”. With an Ace on the lucky 13 hole picked up a new Kia K900 auto (which she turned around and gave her caddie/sister) and some excellent work with her flat stick Henderson slept on the solo lead at Sahalee.

She pulled away from the field with birdies at Nos.

World No.4 Brooke Henderson of Canada took the lead after the first round with a 67 that included her first ace on the LPGA Tour. “A lot of my top-10s have come on Saturday and Sunday, so to start off today with a pretty good round.I kind of was feeding off the energy I had previous year at KPMG”.