[Yonhap News Photo]
South Koreans were in the early mix after the first round of the Rio de Janeiro Olympic women's golf tournament.
Park In-bee and Kim Sei-young both enjoyed bogey-free first rounds at the par-71, 6,245-yard Olympic Golf Course. The two each had five birdies.
They're tied for second place in a field of 60, one off the pace set by Ariya Jutanugarn, world No. 2 from Thailand. Jutanugarn, who has four LPGA Tour wins this year, overcame a double bogey and a bogey with seven birdies and an eagle for a 65.
Chun In-gee traded five birdies for four bogeys for a 70 and is in a seven-way tie for 19th.
Amy Yang was the only one among four South Koreans not to break par in the first round, carding a 73 with two birdies and four bogeys to sit in a tie for 39th.
Park, an LPGA Hall of Famer mired in an injury-plagued season, picked up her first birdie at the par-5 fifth, where she stuck her third shot to about a foot. Her second birdie came at the par-4 seventh.
Park then recorded three straight birdies to start the back nine. Capping off the run was a 32-foot birdie putt at the par-4 12th.
Kim, world No. 6, birdied the first, fourth and seventh holes. She then booked her back nine with birdies at the 10th and the 18th.
Three players were tied at four-under 67, with four more players having each carded a 68.
World No. 1 Lydia Ko, a South Korean-born Kiwi, is among eight players tied for 11th place at two-under 69. She was even par through 14 holes with three birdies and three bogeys, and picked up an eagle at the par-4 15th to finish in the red number.
(Yonhap)
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
