WOBURN, England – Danielle Kang has Woburn amnesia. She played the Marquess Course when the AIG Women’s British Open first came here three years ago but can’t remember a thing.
“Not even a shot,” she said, “not even a hole.”
Maybe that’s for the best as she missed the cut in 2016. This time around Kang, who is battling a sore throat, opened with a 6-under 66 at the lush inland course to sit one stroke behind leader Ashleigh Buhai. For Kang it has been more famine than feast at the Women’s British, missing the cut five times in eight starts.
AIG WOMEN’S BRITISH OPEN: Scores | Tee times, TV info
The winner of the 2017 KPMG Women’s PGA has a pair of top-six finishes in the majors this year to go along with two missed cuts. The 26-year-old said she struggles at places where she has to hit it in one place, and it ends up in another.
“Oakmont is tough for me,” she said, “Evian is tough for me. Let’s say I’m a control freak. I like things to go where I intended to go. I can’t rely on bounces. But that’s the beauty of golf. I’m just not quite good at it yet.”
She likes that the Marquess Course at Woburn tests different parts of the game and presents a number of risk/reward positions. The tree-lined track reminds her of Sahalee in Washington.
“Easy golf is the best golf, right?” she said of Thursday’s opening round. “No stress. You get a number, you see the shot, you go and hit it. Same thing with putting. I know I left a few short out there, but I kept trusting my speed, I see the line, and you just go up and trust your execution.”
