Women’s British Open: Park bid hits the buffers

If Inbee Park is to pull off an historic fourth straight Major she will have to do it from eight shots behind her countrywoman Na Yeon Choi.

In the worst of the weather, strong winds being the backdrop to the majority of her round, the Korean birdied the last for a 73 to drop back to two under.

On Thursday last year’s runner-up was left to rue three dropped shots in the last six holes, in the second round it was a far different proposition where anything under par would move you in the right direction.

A bogey at the 1st, a hole that should cause few concerns, set the tone for a difficult day and, despite birdies at the 6th and 12th, the 25-year-old was never able to get going in the right direction.

And for the second consecutive day she was unable to make par at the Road Hole though, again, for the second day running she answered it with a closing birdie.
"When you’re behind you feel a bit less pressure but you have to play harder to get there" – Inbee Park “I don’t feel the pressure in one putt or some putts but overall I think I just feel it. It feels a bit awkward but this is coming with good playing and with great results.

“When you experience something big like this you’re just really not afraid of any kind of pressure. How can this get bigger than this?”

She also refused to rule herself out of contention despite the eight-shot gap.

“You just never know what’s going to happen the next two days especially if the conditions get tougher, anything could happen out here. When you’re behind you feel a bit less pressure but you have to play harder to get there.”