Jane Park chips from the fringe of the 9th hole during Round 2 of the US Women's Open at Lancaster Country Club on Friday, July 10. (Casey Kreider/LNP)

Player notes: Little things lift Jane Park to solid round at US Women’s Open

Posted: July 11, 2015 3:06 am

While everybody likes to see long drives, often times doing the little things are what can make for a successful round of golf.
Just ask Jane Park. Despite being dead last in the field in driving distance, Park finished her round of 66 Friday morning to be one of the co-leaders at the U.S. Women’s Open. She then went out and shot a second-round 72 and is 2-under-par for the tournament heading into the weekend.
“I give up a lot of distance off the tee, but my irons and my woods are very, very accurate,” she said. “And fortunately, I’ve got a pretty good hold of how far I’m hitting all of my clubs.”
Soft conditions have also been a big help to Park. Long approach shots have landed much softer on the greens thanks to all the rain.
“The greens are very soft, very receptive,” she said. “And as long as you have your distances down, you can go at some of these pins, for sure.”
After playing 23 holes of golf Friday, Park was planning on spending her evening away from the course.
“I really want to go see the local Amish people,” she said. “I haven’t done that yet. So I think this afternoon would be a good afternoon to just kind of get away from golf and have some good food and prepare for tomorrow, get some good rest.”

Lee’s breakthrough

Rookie Min Lee had yet to be much of a factor on the LPGA Tour — until the second round of the U.S. Women’s Open. On a tougher day for scoring, Lee went out and birdied four of her first six holes. She shot a blistering 31 on the front nine, and ended with a 68 for the round.
“I feel like my iron shots were pretty good today and I was trying to be aggressive to attack the pins, for more chances at a birdie,” Lee said.
She faltered a little on the back nine — commonly thought of as the tougher nine at Lancaster Country Club — shooting 37 without a birdie.
“I think the back nine is a little longer, so I was a little upset that I made two bogeys. But I will take that score. That’s really good for me,” Lee said.
Lee is now at 2-under for the tournament and in contention heading into the weekend.

On an even keel

Pars in a U.S. Open are always a good score, and Angela Stanford has made plenty of them. So far, she’s parred 30 of the 36 holes she’s played this week and currently sits at even par after two rounds.
“I hit the ball really well and only missed one green,” Stanford said.
Her steady play has lent itself well on a tough golf course.
“I feel like it’s only going to get tougher,” she said. “I think they could get pretty mean, I think, with the course setup. I think it’s tough either way.”
She was also buoyed by the crowds, following the veteran American around.
“It’s awesome,” she said. “It’s fun to see so many people. Any time you get to play in front of a lot of people, you get a little more juiced up.”