SOUTHAMPTON — Quietly, history might be in the making at this week’s U.S. Women’s Open at Sebonack.
If Inbee Park is able to convert her U.S. Open first-round start of 5-under-par 67, which has her one shot out the lead held by Ha Neul Kim (6-under), into a win by Sunday night she will become the first women’s player to win the first three major championships in one year since Babe Zaharias in 1950.
Among her four wins this year, Park already has captured the Kraft Nabisco and LPGA Championship. A U.S. Open win, which would be her second (she won in 2008), would send Park to the British Women’s Open in August with a chance to win four in a row.
“I do have a lot of confidence in myself at the moment,’’ Park said yesterday. “The way I’ve been playing … I think I am in the zone. I’ve been playing the best in my career at the moment. I really just want to enjoy the moment.’’
One of the things that Park has been doing as well or better than any player in the world — on the women’s or men’s tours — is putt. That has separated her from the rest more than anything.
“I don’t think I’ve ever putted this good in my career — ever,’’ said Park, who had 25 putts.
* Kim, who carded a bogey-free 66 to take the first-round lead, is playing in her first U.S. Open at age 24 and does not even play on the LPGA Tour. The South Korean, who plays on the Korean LPGA Tour, had only 23 putts in her round yesterday.
“I didn’t think I would play like this,’’ she said.
Stacy Lewis, the No. 2 ranked player in the world who shot 71, had this interesting take on having the first-round lead this week: “This is not a tournament you want to lead after the first day, because it’s hard to maintain that for four days.’’
* Annie Park, an 18-year-old amateur from Levittown on Long Island and the NCAA women’s golf champion as a freshman at USC, shot 79 in the opening round. Park had four three-putts.
“I was just struggling out there just trying to make putts, getting it on the green,’’ she said. “It was frustrating, but what can I do?’’
Park conceded she “did feel the pressure’’ of being the only local player in the field, saying she “tried to block it out.’’
“It was different because me seeing Tiger play and all the crowds supporting them, and then me experiencing it myself was pretty cool,’’ she said.
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One of the coolest stories on the leaderboard is 28-year-old Paz Echeverria from Chile, who is two shots off the lead at 3-under par in her first U.S. Open. She didn’t decide to be a pro golfer until after college, at age 24.
Echeverria, who’s missed three cuts in her four LPGA tournaments this year and got into the Open as a sectional qualifier, called yesterday “one of those days when everything came together.’’
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Defending champion Na Yeon Choi shot a 1-under-par 71. She said she wasn’t nervous being announced as the 2012 champion, saying: “I felt more excited and got good vibes from it. I did a good job last year, so we can do one more.’’ … Juli Inkster, the oldest player in the field at age 53 and is playing on a special USGA exemption in her record 34th U.S. Open, shot an even-par 72. … Natalie Gulbis, who never has won an LPGA event in her 12-year career and has struggled this year, shot a 2-under-par 70.