Mizuno Classic 2012: Inbee Park ties for 9th in first round
South Korean Inbee Park shot a 70 in the opening round of Mizuno Classic 2012 to grab the share of 9th position.
Park started her round on Friday at Kintetsu Kashikojima Country Club, Shima-s**+, Mie, Japan, with a clear plan, but she made a couple of mistakes early in the day, affecting her score.
She fired a birdie on the first hole, which gave her confidence. However, the next hole was the scene of disappointment as she missed a par-putt and ended up carding a bogey.
After parring the third hole, she drained another bogey on the par-4 fourth. As the South Korean golfer is used to playing in tough situations, she put into practice her swing and putting skills and recorded her second birdie on the difficult par-3 5th hole.
On the back nine, Park made some errors but one birdie on the 10th and two back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th got her hopes up and she found her way back into contention.
Commentators said that a tie for the ninth position can prove to be a good start as Park is capable of further boosting her position in the next rounds.
Most importantly, the tournament can end on a promising note if the South Korean prodigy manages to record a victory this week.
She is trailing American Stacy Lewis on the Rolex Player of the Year list. A victory in Japan can remove Lewis from the top position, and this is what Park is pursuing.
Lewis could not make as solid a start as Park, as she posted a 71 to stand tied for the 19th position on the leaderboard.
However, she is confident that her winning form that has helped her win three tournaments in the current season will remain intact.
Despite the fact that her performance in Asia has not been good, she wants to make a surprise comeback this week.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself the last two weeks in Malaysia and Korea just knowing what’s at stake and knowing what I was playing for,” Lewis said during her pre-tournament interview.
“I kind of had to go home last week just to regroup and remember that I went on the same kind of run as Inbee is on right now”.
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