Two eagles propel S. Korean golfer up Rio leaderboard

RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 18 (Yonhap) — In the second round of the Rio de Janeiro Olympic women’s golf tournament Thursday, South Korean Chun In-gee responded to an early double bogey in a way the top players do: with a pair of eagles.

Chun had a wild ride through the par-71, 6,245-yard Olympic Golf Course, mixing in four birdies and two eagles with a bogey and a double bogey. Her five-under 66 took Chun to six-under for the tournament, as she jumped from a tie for 19th to a tie for eighth with three others.

The double bogey at the par-5 fifth could easily have derailed her round, since it came three holes after her first bogey. Her second shot landed in the left side bunker, and she went beyond the green with her third shot. It took her five shots just to get to the green.

Chun said afterward she was able to hold herself together in the midst of the adventure.

“I could have been shaken up, but I reminded myeslf ,’This is how golf is,’” she said. “I only thought about playing well on the remaining holes. And I think it led to those two eagles.”

South Korea’s Chun In-gee celebrates her eagle putt at the 18th hole during the second round of the Rio de Janeiro Olympic women’s golf tournament on Aug. 18, 2016.

The first eagle came at the par-4 ninth, where she chipped in from about 32 yards out. Chun picked up her second eagle at the par-5 finishing hole, after sticking her second shot to about 16 feet.

Chun rued missed birdie opportunities on three straight holes starting at the 15th. She said she felt she was due for at least a birdie at the 18th.

Chun also said she took a different mental approach to her second round compared to the first day.

“I haven’t been hitting the ball that well of late, and the pressure of the Olympics held me back in the first round,” she said. “Today, I decided I’d just go out and play.”