Park in Arkansas looking for more after U.S. Open triumph

Jul 3, 2008 - 1:52 PM ROGERS, Arkansas (Ticker) -- Inbee Park made history last week on her way to her first major championship.

Park looks for an encore starting Friday when the P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship begins at Pinnacle Country Club.

A 19-year old South Korean, Park won the U.S. Women's Open on Sunday, becoming the youngest winner in the event's history.

"I really can't describe it in words," Park said. "I'm very, very honored. I've been very, very busy the last three days. I've got a lot of phone calls from Korea and hardly slept any hours."

It is unlikely to expect Park to keep up the level of play she showed last week, considering the stakes are much lower. But Park seems eager to get back to work and avoid a letdown.

"I like the course very much. It's a very pretty golf course," she said. "Hopefully the weather holds up all right this year and I will have a great event. The win last week gave me a lot of confidence. So going into this week I was very, very confident."

Last season, heavy rains washed out the final three rounds of the event here. Stacy Lewis opened with a 7-under-par 65 before the storms made the course unplayable and organizers determined no winner would be declared.

Lewis also is looking to build on her experience at the U.S. Open. She led entering the final round and ultimately finished tied for third in her first event as a professional.

"I'm really excited about this week," she said. "I get to play in front of the hometown crowd. This week's been crazy already, so I'm really excited, and I just want the tournament to get started."