Kim outshines Trump’s arrival
TURNBERRY, Scotland — Donald Trump’s showstealing arrival at the Women’s British Open Thursday upstaged another strong start to a major by South Korea’s Hyo-Joo Kim.
Kim was midway through compiling a 7-under 65 in the first round when Trump, a U.S. Republican presidential candidate, landed in a private helicopter to begin a two-day visit at the tournament at his Turnberry resort in Western Scotland.
The on-course action was initially a sideshow for Trump, who seized the attention by inviting the media to his hotel near the course to continue his presidential campaign. The celebrity billionaire eventually watched some golf, although the leader board was virtually locked in by then.
Fourth-ranked Kim, who shot a first-round 61 in winning the Evian Championship on her major championship debut a year ago, was leading by one stroke over Lydia Ko of New Zealand and Cristie Kerr of the United States.
Ko, whose 66 was her lowest score in a major, is looking to become the youngest winner of a major. She will be 18 years, three months, nine days Sunday, seven months younger than American Morgan Pressel when she won the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2007.
Top-ranked Inbee Park began her quest to complete a sweep of the majors by shooting 69 in what she described as “perfect conditions for golf,” with three of her five birdies coming in her last five holes.
Defending champion Mo Martin shot 70, and Michelle Wie, wearing a brace on her left ankle because of a bone spur, had a 76.
Australia’s Karrie Webb, the previous champion at Turnberry in 2002, shot 80 and was 141st in the 144woman field.
Trump’s grand arrival at 10:30 a.m. certainly didn’t go unnoticed by the early starters on the Ailsa Course. Ko, who went out in the second group after waking up at 3:30 a.m., was on the 16th hole when the real-estate mogul’s helicopter twice circled the Ayrshire links.
“I was like, ‘Man, that’s a really nice helicopter,‘” Ko said. “I would love one.”
World No. 2 already was 6 under par by then, with a run of four consecutive birdies from No. 2 giving her momentum. On No. 5, she gripped a 5-wood from 179 yards to inside 2 feet.
Ko is trying not to think about the history she could create this weekend.
“My goal is to have one major in my career,” Ko said, “but it doesn’t need to be now.”
Ko held the clubhouse lead for barely an hour before being overtaken by Kim, who rolled in five birdies and an eagle putt from 10 inches at the par-5 14th in her first round in a British Open.
This is only her fifth major championship — and she already has a victory as well as ninth and 11th-place finishes.
“I kept playing good today,” said Kim, who donned earmuffs to combat the early morning chill. She was one of three players in the field to be bogey-free in her first round.
The Trump circus is scheduled to leave Turnberry today, allowing the players to take center stage at the fourth major of the year.