Park tops star-studded leaderboard at Rio 2016 after 36 holes
Inbee Park is showing no signs of rust at Rio 2016, firing her second straight 5-under 66 to sit one-stroke clear of the field after two rounds.
The South Korean star, who hadn't played an LPGA Tour event in over two months due to a thumb injury prior to the Olympics, is being chased by some of the biggest names in the sport.
American Stacy Lewis scorched the course on Friday, firing an 8-under 63 that featured 11 birdies, to sit just one shot off the pace. Canada's Brooke Henderson was also hot throughout her second round, finishing with a 64 to sit just two shots back of Park, alongside Charley Hull of Great Britain.
Park saw her bogey-free run at the Olympics end after 24 holes, but would avoid any further blemishes to her scorecard. The 28-year-old may be primed for retirement to start a family after the event, but is showing yet again she's a force to be reckoned with whenever she tees it up.
Lewis is no stranger to the leaderboard, but is looking to capture her first win since 2014. In that time span, she has an incredible 11 runner-up finishes and 27 top 10s, but hasn't been able to claim a victory. She was undeterred by a double-bogey on the 14th, finishing with four straight birdies on the back nine.
The 18-year-old Henderson, who is ranked third in the world, also punished the finishing stretch in Rio, with five birdies in her final six holes.
Leaderboard
| Pos. | Player | To Par | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inbee Park (KOR) | -10 | 66 |
| 2 | Stacy Lewis (USA) | -9 | 63 |
| T3 | Brooke Henderson (CAN) | -8 | 64 |
| T3 | Charley Hull (GBR) | -8 | 66 |
| T5 | Marianne Skarpnord (NOR) | -7 | 66 |
| T5 | Nicole Broch Larsen (DEN) | -7 | 68 |
| T5 | Candie Kung (TPE) | -7 | 68 |
| T8 | Aditi Ashok (IND) | -6 | 68 |
| T8 | Minjee Lee (NZL) | -6 | 67 |
| T8 | Ariya Jutanugarn (THA) | -6 | 71 |
| T8 | In Gee Chun (KOR) | -6 | 66 |
| T8 | Gerina Piller (USA) | -6 | 67 |
Notables
First-round leader Ariya Jutanugarn of Taiwan couldn't continue her torrid play around the Olympic layout, but managed to shoot even-par and remain at 6-under.
World No. 1 Lydia Ko struggled on the front nine, shooting a 1-over 36, and could only muster two birdies on the back side to complete a 1-under round of 70. She sits tied for 22nd at 3-under for the tournament.
Lexi Thompson also struggled on the opening side at Rio 2016, shooting a 2-over 37, but settled down on the back nine with three birdies against just one bogey to finish at even for the day. She sits alongside Ko at 3-under.
Tweet of the Day
Park shooting back-to-back rounds of 66 is a fairly remarkable feat considering she's done so just once in her storied career. It's fitting that Lewis sits second, as that was the case the only other time she accomplished the impressive scoreline.
2nd time in Inbee Park's career she began a tournament with consecutive 66's or better. Previous instance: '14 Taiwan - she won, Lewis 2nd.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) August 18, 2016