Bishop Gorman junior sims high against heroes

Adam Candee

Friday, April 15, 2005 | 10:24 a.m.

Slowly but steadily, she crept up the leaderboard Thursday, joining the names she watches with awe most weeks on the LPGA circuit.

It will be a couple of years before In-Bee Park, a junior at Bishop Gorman High, joins up with the pros. This week, though, Park is showing that she may already have the game to take them on.

Park shot a 6-under 66 in the first round to close one stroke off the lead beginning play today. She is making the most of her second consecutive sponsor's exemption into the field, just as she did last year by finishing tied for eighth.

She has a higher finish in mind this year.

"I really do believe (I can win)," Park said. "If I play like this (today) and the day after, I'm sure I can."

Outdriving many of the pros Thursday with her average of nearly 283 yards, Park hit 13 of 14 fairways and mixed in just one bogey with seven birdies. She actually flew her second shot at the par-5, 460-yard No. 9 over the green and two-putted back or her final birdie of the round as sunset fell.

Park feels no pressure heading into the weekend. In fact, the 16-year-old said it's the pros that are likely worried about the kid climbing into the lead pack.

"I have nothing to lose, obviously," Park said. "I just come out here and I'm having fun. I mean, I think the pressure is on them actually because I'm only 16, I have a long way to go."

"That 8, 9 and 10 stretch is like the easiest stretch on the golf course," Gulbis said. "And I played it 2-over. That's not very good."

Gulbis recorded an even-par 72 that felt much worse to her.

"A 72 feels like I shot 77," Gulbis said.

Cimarron-Memorial High graduate Stephanie Louden fared slightly better at 1-under 71, but both players were not helped by morning tee times that featured the only strong winds of the day.

"It was blowing hard," Louden said. "We'd watch our balls go up and all of a sudden, they'd kind of wiffle off. You knew the wind was blowing it, but it would do some weird stuff."

After a number of years watching the wind swirl off the Las Vegas Hilton to create havoc on the course, Louden is used to it.

"That's part of the deal out here," Louden said. "It's kind of cool because you have to just guess."