Park In-bee "A Course That Requires Patience"
Analysis of The Olympic Golf Course, Venue of the US Women's Open "Rough is Long and Tough," Michelle Wie Calls It a "Monster Course"
[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] "This is a course that requires patience."
This is the evaluation of the battleground for the US Women's Open (total prize money $5.5 million), known as the "national title of the United States," by golf queen Park In-bi (33, KB Financial Group, photo). At a press conference held on the 2nd (Korean time) at The Olympic Golf Course (par 71, 6,546 yards) in San Francisco, California, USA, she predicted, "Patience is needed to tackle this course," and "all sorts of things will happen." Park In-bi has experience winning the US Women's Open in 2008 and 2013.
"You have to fight the wind and the cold," said Park In-bi, analyzing, "The rough grass is long and tough, so if the ball goes into the rough, you can expect to lose strokes," and "Ultimately, landing on the fairway is the most important." The Olympic Golf Course has hosted the US Open five times so far, but this is the first time for a women's tournament. The difficulty level is the highest ever. At the most recent 2012 US Open, Webb Simpson (USA) won with 1-over par.
The course is long, but it has all the elements players dislike: long, tough, and thick rough, narrow fairways, chilly weather, and unpredictable winds blowing from the sea. Michelle Wie (USA), the 2014 champion, described it as "really difficult" and "a monster of a course." She added, "When I played here a few weeks ago, the rough wasn't this long," and expressed surprise, saying, "Now that I’m here for the tournament, the rough has become very long and dense."
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Jeon In-ji (27, KB Financial Group), the 2015 champion, said, "The greens are small and the rough feels sticky," adding, "If you miss the fairway, you might have to lay up." Jessica Korda (USA) expressed anticipation, saying, "The rough is long and it's difficult to score, but I like it." Patty Tavatanakit (Thailand), the season's first major ANA champion, declared her determination, saying, "To face the rough and bad weather, you have to be prepared both mentally and physically."
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