Inbee Park starts fast, could make history at U.S. Women’s Open

This could be a historic week at the U.S. Women’s Open, where Inbee Park has gotten off to a strong start in her quest for a third consecutive major.

The 24-year-old South Korean managed a string of birdies to stand atop the leaderboard at 5-under as the first round neared its conclusion at Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y.

If she were to win, Park would join the august company of Babe Didrikson Zaharias as the only woman to capture the first three majors of the season.

“I’ve played very good golf the last two or three months,” Park said this week. “Yeah, everything’s been going the right way.”

The same cannot be said for Michelle Wie, who started Thursday with a quadruple-bogey and was in danger of playing herself out of the tournament on the first morning.

The former wunderkind, still looking for her first major, has struggled of late, slipping to No. 82 in the world rankings. She followed her disastrous start with more bad play and, even with a pair of late birdies, stood at 9-over with one hole remaining.

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