Long Island Golfer Tries to Stay Focused at U.S. Women's Open SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. - Annie Park was 13 when Sebonack was announced as the site of the 2013 United States Women's Open. Mike Froloff, a neighbor and occasional golfing partner, quickly put two and two together. "Annie," Froloff recalled telling her, "I guarantee you'll be playing there." Froloff had met Park one day at Bethpage State Park. He was playing ahead of her, but she kept hitting balls into his group. Amazed, he wound up buying her a Gatorade. She was 11. That was seven years ago, and Froloff followed with interest as Park, a Levittown native, ascended Long Island's golfing ladder, piling up high school accolades and earning a scholarship to the University of Southern California. His prediction came true when Park teed off in front of a gallery of nearly 100 at Sebonack on Thursday at 12:52 p.m. Park, an 18-year-old amateur, was easily the crowd favorite on Day 1, even as she struggled with her putting en route to a seven-over-par 79 that left her tied for 133rd. Ha-Neul Kim shot a six-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead over Inbee Park. Locals here have been following Annie Park for years, especially after last May, when she blitzed the 135-player field at Bethpage Red to win her high school championship by six strokes. In that field, she was one of only two girls. Park went on to become the seventh freshman to win the individual N.C.A.A. title, and just the second woman in N.C.A.A. history to sweep the conference, regional and national titles. She also won the Golfstat Cup, given to the collegiate player with the lowest scoring average (71.36). Raised by her mother, Young Hee, who goes by Ann, and an older sister, Bo, Park began playing golf at 8, when she would follow her mother around on the course. "I played golf, and she watched me," said Ann Park, a native of Seoul, South Korea. She wanted to practice, and she'd practice always with me. The ball would go a long way. Soon, Annie Park was forging her own path, under the tutelage of Jimmy Lee, an assistant pro at Bethpage. She was playing with Lee when her long tee shots zipped into Froloff's group. Froloff, who owns a home remodeling business in Seaford, began practicing with her, but it did not take long for Park to outplay him. "I actually got to see a tremendous progression," Froloff said. Someone who obviously had some talent, but Annie worked really hard. She practiced constantly. Park's first brush with her following here came Wednesday, during her practice round, which drew dozens of fans - even a handful of course volunteers - asking her for autograph at every turn. Her playing partner, Lizette Salas, poked fun at the attention, loudly asking Park if she would sign her scorecard before the group teed off. Throughout the practice round, Salas, a U.S.C. graduate, said she tried to give her words of advice. "I said, Put that on back of your mind, don't even think about it," Salas said. Just play your game. She has so much talent, she's scary good. On Thursday, Park pushed up her warm-up routine by 20 minutes so she could sign autographs before she teed off. At lunch before her round, the U.S.C. assistant Justin Silverstein reminded her about not trying too hard to meet expectations. "You can listen to it, accept it, but then let it go," Silverstein said, referring to the crowd's support. He said Park has always had a knack for focus, but this week's attention seemed extraordinary for an 18-year-old. "She handles it better than anybody else," Silverstein said. But it's still a lot. Park said she felt some butterflies on the first tee, after her name and hometown were announced, but her nerves eased as she played. She made sure not to blame her struggles on the gallery or her focus. "Being a resident of Levittown, I'm just so grateful to be here," Park said. Playing here on the Island is just great. Park said her round went awry on the third hole, a par-3, when she missed short in a bunker and wound up three-putting for a double bogey. "I miscalculated the yardage," Park said. From there on, I just tried to get my game back together. I was just struggling out there trying to make putts. She showed her first outward sign of frustration on the par-4 fourth hole (her 13th hole), when she missed a tap-in par putt and gasped, giving an exasperated look to the sky. She said her focus Friday would be on making the cut so she could keep going through the weekend. "Hopefully, I get my putting back together," Park said. It's a new day. Hopefully, it's better.