About that left thumb, the most famous left thumb in women’s golf.
Inbee Park thought she was about 80 percent healthy coming into the Olympic Games in Rio but she looks about 110 percent after the first two rounds of the women’s golf competition.
Park, the former world’s No. 1 who has fallen to fifth, mainly due to a bum left thumb, has apparently left her worries behind after the first two days. She has rounds of 66-66 in the books and she’s 10-under par Thursday after two trips around the Gil Hanse-Amy Alcott design.
Park had her doubts coming into Wednesday’s first round. “I didn’t really know whether I was going to play this week or not. A good result is a great gift,” said the seven-time major champion. “I was able to convert birdies. I’m totally satisfied.”
Park said she will treat this like a major and her plan moving forward is: “I’m going to try to hit the ball in the fairway and try to make some putts.”
So far, she’s done an excellent job.
So have other big games.
Stacy Lewis established a women’s Olympic record with an eight-under par 63 for her second round and she’s a shot behind Park at nine-under par.
Lewis, ranked seventh, was the lowest of the three American golfers in the field.
Canada’s Brooke Henderson is in the running for a gold. The world’s No. 3 was only a shot off Lewis’ record 63. Henderson’s 64 put her at eight-under with England’s Charley Hull, who shot 66 on Thursday.
Overnight leader Ariya Jutanugarn had a tough time getting it going on another perfect scoring day. She shot 71 and fell back into a tie for eighth with four other players, including 18-year-old Aditi Ashok from India, the youngest player in the field.
Lexi Thompson was America’s best medal hope coming in but so far she has not been able to take advantage of her enormous length off the tee. She has played the eight par fives in even par and is three-under par, tied with Lydia Ko, the pre-tournament favorite to win gold and the world’s No. 1 player.
