UNLV product Inbee Park had a sensational performance on the Rio de Janeiro golf course Wednesday to open the Olympic women’s tournament, but it wasn’t enough to lead the pack.
Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand finished atop the leaderboard after Round 1, and is the first 18-hole leader in the history of women’s golf in the Olympics.
Jutanugarn had a little bit of everything on her scorecard and wound up with a 6-under 65 for a one-shot lead over seven-time major champion Park and Seiyoung Kim, both of South Korea.
This is the first time for women’s golf to be in the Olympics since the Paris Games in 1900, and back then it was only a nine-hole competition.