Brooke Henderson takes Women’s PGA lead

The last hurdle was to complete the equivalent of 10 seasons, and Park did so by getting the first round under her belt at the KPMGA Women’s PGA Championship.

In the first round at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Park shot a one-over 72 to tie for 23rd, with more golfers still on the course.

Hours later, she was about to tee off for the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club – a tournament for which she was the three-time defending champion.

The 27-year-old South Korean player is the youngest women to reach eligibility for the Hall of Fame, accomplishing the feat with the first round of her 10th event of the season.

“Yeah it was a pretty good day today”, said Henderson, who finished fifth at the PGA Championship previous year. Park has been battling an ongoing injury in her left thumb, which forced her to withdraw from her prior two starts.

As she walked off the putting surface, Park celebrated with family, Hall of Famers, fellow competitors and tour officials.

Let the record show a final bogey left Park shooting a 1-over-par 72, a score she could be proud of given how tough Sahalee was playing and how hard inflammation in her left thumb has made it for her to play this year.

Brooke Henderson, whose 67 included a hole in one with a seven iron shot at the par-three 13th hole.

“There’s still so many things to focus on and think about here”, Ko said.

“Yeah it was a pretty good day today”.

“I don’t have a vehicle”, she said.

“It definitely came quicker than I thought”.

“Enjoy this”, he told her.

She made her first bogey at No. 8, but rebounded by canning a 25-foot birdie putt on the next hole.

“She’s a hell of a player”, said Hall of Famer Juli Inkster, who finished her round shortly before Park. She birdied her last two holes on Thursday.

With the skies having cleared after spitting rain earlier in the cool day, Park missed the 18th green with her second shot, pitched on and two-putted for bogey.

The usually stone-faced, steel-nerved Inbee Park was feeling enough jitters Wednesday night to keep her up well past midnight.

“It feels very special because it starts back to when I just started playing golf, watching a lot of players on TV and thinking that I wanted to be there”, Park said.

And on the finishing hole, a long, uphill par 4, she was so far back, she needed to hit 3-wood to get to the green.

Michelle Wie shot a 78, making a double bogey and five bogeys. This is only the second time Hoge has played the event, but he has qualified for the U.S. Open twice in Memphis and tied for 12th at Southwind a year ago.