There had to be a moment in Round 1, on the 11th or 12th hole, when Inbee Park sensed the potentiality of the Grand Slam.

She had the lead at 6-under-par, as she had all year, when it counted. But Park bogeyed the 13th hole of the Ricoh Women’s British Open, and finished double-bogey, single-bogey, birdie on the closing triad. She fell to 3-under, but the horrific, five-hole stretch certainly reminded her of the tenuous grasp that anyone has on the golf swing.

It was evident that the magnitude of her quest was impossible to ignore, as Park admitted in her post-round press conference.

“Yeah, whether the result is good or bad, I’m just glad that it already started and I finished the first round, 25 percent of the tournament,” she said. “You know, if I could walk out of this tournament with no regrets, that’s what I’m looking to do and yeah that’s all I could ask for. I played and I learned my lesson? I wouldn’t say it’s a regret, a couple of mistakes but that can always happen. I tried hard, that’s all that matters. “

Unfortunately for those hoping for a four-bagger, Park sits at 2-under after Round 2, eight strokes in arrears. On Friday, when contestants struggled to outwit the Old Course at St. Andrews (only 10 scores under 70), Park settled for a three-birdie, four-bogey 73 that was not what anyone had in mind or hoped for.

If anything, Park proved herself to be something of a prognosticator. When discussing her Tuesday practice round, she said:

“I played two different golf courses yesterday and today, no wind yesterday and it blew today. The clubs that I was hitting into was totally different and the greens were getting firmer. The course conditions can change dramatically, so you really need to watch out what course you’re playing.”

On Friday, Inbee Park faced the Old Course she had hoped to avoid. Winds were up and scores soared. As so often happens in European competition, the side of the draw determines most of a golfer’s fate. Park did well to keep her score around par, but needed more to keep pace with the leaders.

“Pressure I think got to me the last couple days” were the words that Park used to describe her management of the first 36 holes. Her candor was never more apparent when she said:

“This is pretty much the the only week I’m going to get this much. I should enjoy this moment. I’m trying to enjoy every moment that I’m here.”

Na Yeon Choi sits atop the Women’s British Open leaderboard after Round 2, with twin 67s giving her a score of 10-under at the Old Course at St. Andrews, one clear of unheralded Miki Saiki and two ahead of Morgan Pressel, no sure thing herself. Choi has a major championship to her credit, a four-stroke victory at the 2012 U.S. Open championship. It’s unlikely that she will back up very much over the next two days.

As day two sighs wistfully into day three of competition, Inbee Park will have to hope that a low-60s round is in the cards for Saturday, and that some dire weather appears for her adversaries.