June 28, 2008 9:00 AM PST (UPDATED 11:21 AM PST)–There are Las Vegas golf ties to the U.S. Women's Open all over the place. The most prominent tie currently is that former Bishop Gorman high school player Inbee Park (pictured) is challenging for the title. But maybe the most interesting story for the everyday fan is that of Sherry Corsello, the president of the Women's Southern Nevada Golf Association, who is assisting the television crews and getting a seat inside the ropes as the best women golfers in the world compete for the ladies' national golf championship. Plus, there are six other Las Vegas golfers in the field, including Natalie Gulbis, Amy Hung, Kim Hall and others. After two rounds Park, who works with Sean Callahan at Las Vegas' Butch Harmon School of Golf at Rio Secco Golf Club, was at -5 and one shot behind leader Angela Park. Meanwhile, Corsello says that her job is as the leader of the television rules committee that is riding along with the handheld cameras that capture the fairway and putting shots of the leaders or hot players. Read on for Park's complete post-round press conference. Corsello reports from the course that Inbee is smiling and talking to her caddie after birdieing the first hole, and also trying to keep her cap on in the cool and windy conditions. Park then made bogey on two. Follow Inbee's scorecard.
Park, an LPGA Tour rookie in 2007, appears to be making it a habit to challenge for U.S. Open titles. She finished fourth last year.
"I like challenging golf courses and I like how USGA sets up the courses and it's really a lot of fun and a really good test for the game," said Park, after firing a 4-under par 69 on the par 73 Interlachen Country Club course in Minnesota. "I played very well today. Very solid. Except for the first two bogeys earlier in the round, almost it was a perfect round for me. And I hit a lot of good shots and good putts today."
Corsello has watched Park several times during the tournament and says she appears "quiet and unemotional" as she plays. Corsello also says that weather delays have affected the first two rounds, and weather is currently an issue.
The lead paragraph above might have been a little better with the sentence: "There 'were' Las Vegas golf ties to the U.S. Women's Open all over the place" because of the seven Las Vegas golfers with strong ties to Las Vegas, only one other player besides Park survived the cut. Kim Hall, who practices at Las Vegas paiute Golf Resort, stands in a tie for 60th heading into the weekend.
Charlotte Mayorkas, a Las Vegas resident who practices at TPC Las Vegas, Natalie Gulbis, a Lake Las Vegas Resort resident, Amy Hung, a Las Vegas resident who practices at DragonRidge Country Club, Sunny Uh, a former UNLV Lady golfer, and Jennie Lee, a resident who plays college golf for Duke, all missed the cut.