BETHESDA, Md. – The last time Congressional Country Club hosted a major championship, Rory McIlroy blistered the field by eight strokes at the 2011 U.S. Open.
More than a decade later, In Gee Chun might deliver a similar master class.
The soft-spoken South Korean, a two-time major champion, put together one of the most dominant rounds in recent memory, carding nine birdies en route to a course record of 8-under 64. The Blue Course, which has hosted five previous majors, recently underwent a complete renovation.
Only six other players in the morning wave broke par, and all six shot 1-under 71. World No. 2 Nelly Korda was among them and was quite pleased with the round, given how long the course played. When Chun walked off the course, the scoring average was 76.01.
Congressional received two inches of rain overnight and early groups played in 10 or more holes in the rain Thursday morning on what turned into a slow grind. Inbee Park expected several tees to be moved up given the soft conditions but said the actual yardage of 6,809 yards felt more like 7,200, calling it “a beast.”
“I am one of the longer hitters on tour,” said Korda. “It was long.”
KPMG Women’s PGA: Leaderboard | Photos
After coming to the course early for a preview last week, Chun decided to put a 7-wood in the bag. Caddie Dean Herden said she hit it four times Thursday and flushed it every time, leaving herself nothing more than 10 feet.
Chun took only 25 putts and notched nine birdies on the day. Herden noted that the performance reminded him of when Chun won the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club, the first time they ever worked together. The only shot she missed all day at Congressional, he said, was a thinned 9-iron on the eighth.
Chun, who is trying to enjoy herself more inside the ropes, said conversations with Herden that don’t involve golf help keep her relaxed.
“We talk about my pimple on my lip,” she said, laughing. “So I bit, like, one time before, and then it got bigger and bigger, so I bit more than five times.
“Then we talk about the kiwis because I love to eat kiwis on the course. Especially it’s really tough to find a good kiwi from the supermarket. Luckily, we have a good Korean supermarket near here, so I got a good gold kiwi from there.”
While Chun was able to keep things light, everything about the day felt heavy to most. The par-5 ninth, at 587 yards uphill and into the wind and rain, required long-bombing Brooke…
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