Summary Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand shot a 6-under 65 to grab lead in the women's Olympic golf.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - World number two Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand became the first player to top a women s Olympic golf leaderboard in 116 years as the event made a historic Games return on Wednesday.
Ariya shot a 6-under 65 in showing flashes of the form that won her last month s British Open as nearly half the field of 60 seized on fine conditions in Rio de Janeiro to shoot under par.
World number five Park In-Bee and South Korean teammate Kim Sei-Young were a shot back with a pair of 66s, underscoring high gold-medal hopes for their country s dominant golfers.
The tournament got under way three days after Britain s Justin Rose won the first men s gold medal in 112 years in a down-to-the-wire battle with Henrik Stenson of Sweden.
A shadow was cast over the men s event after more than 20 top male stars, including the world s four highest-ranked players, opted out.
But the women s competition features a star-studded field.
Park shook off a left thumb injury that had threatened her participation in the Games to shoot a bogey-free round.
Park leads four South Koreans in the field -- more than any other country -- all of whom are ranked among the world s top ten.
While it took men s golf 112 years to return, there has not been a women s event since American Margaret Abbott won a nine-hole Olympic competition at the Paris Games in 1900.
