White Eagle a walk in the park for Park

Writing from Naperville, Illinois

Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Three times, the bright lights of the LPGA played through White Eagle Golf Club in the early 1990s. In all those rounds, the best anyone could do on a testing par-72 course playing at about 6,250 yards was 7-under-par 65.

Marta Figueros-Dotti was the first, in the second round of the 1992 Sun-Times Challenge. Stephanie Maynor matched that in the third round. In 1994, Katie Peterson-Parker posted a 65 in the first round and Robin Walton made it four 65s in the final round.

Tuesday morning, with calm conditions and 120 highly-ranked amateurs on site for the 123rd Women’s Western Amateur, a fifth 65 was recorded in the opening round of stroke-play qualifying. White Eagle was set at 6,325 yards on this occasion, and Jasmine Koo, an incoming freshman at USC from Cerritos, Calif., scooted around bogey-free, including going out in 5-under 31 on the back nine, to match the LPGA foursome from a generation ago. Her stock – 188th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking – figures to go up once fast she plays are regular non-junior schedule.

About a dozen minutes later, Koo’s 65 was an afterthought. In the threesome immediately behind her, Catherine Park of Santa Ana., Calif., was stitching together an 8-under 64. She also opened with a 31 on the back, then played the front in 3-under 33 for a course record that might stand until, oh, maybe Wednesday afternoon, when those two and the rest of the field have at it again.

Park, who will be a sophomore a USC this fall, clearly wanted to keep the mantle of low Trojan, never mind her bogey on her seventh hole, the par-3 16th. Otherwise, she was perfect, with nine birdies on the other 17 holes of the Arnold Palmer-designed layout.

“I didn't expect to be a course record holder, but I have no complaints after a day like today,” said Park, who finished a stroke behind winner Rose Zhang in the NCAA championship.

The pin positions set up perfectly in Park’s mind.

““I'm like a cutter,” Park explained. “So I really, it's beneficial because like the holes are kind of, in my opinion, set for the cutter. It pleases my eyes. There's like no issue with me ever backing off a shot.”

For Koo, it was more of an adventure.

“Well, front nine and back nine was like two completely different games,” Koo said. “Front nine, I just, you know, I just stuck five shots (to set up birdies) and then back nine, I was really scrambling. I got a little tired but then my putting was really good. So everything just came together; almost like a perfect round, I guess.

“I’ll beat it tomorrow.”

Bentley Cotton of Austin, Texas and the Texas Longhorns was third at 6-under 66, while Kelli Ann Strand of Challis, Idaho and the Nebraska Cornhuskers scored 5-under 67.

The low 32 players after Wednesday’s second round advance to match play. For the moment, notables including defending champion Taglao Jerravivitaporn of Thailand (2-under 70) and local favorite Grace Curran of New Lenox (70) are safe, but the 14 players tied for 28th at 1-over 73, including Geneva’s Sarah Arnold, the Western Kentucky standout, will want to step it up. And the group tied for 42nd at 2-over 74, including Marissa Wenzler of Dayton, Ohio, the 2021 champion, will really want to floor it.

Around White Eagle 

The par-3 12th hole was the place to be on Tuesday morning, when Natasha Kiel of New Hope, Pa., and Momo Sugiyama of Carrara, Australia scored holes-in-one. Sugiyama, using a 9-iron, is tied for eighth after a 2-under 70, while Kiel, who wielded an 8-iron, is back in the pack after a 7-over 79. … Nineteen players broke par, with 27 of the 120 at par or better.

– Tim Cronin