Lydia Ko was overcome with emotion as gold and the Olympic slam were secured. Since golf was restored to the Games in 2016, only three players have beaten Ko. Silver in Rio, bronze in Tokyo and now the top step of the podium in Paris for the 27-year-old. Within minutes of her triumph at Le Golf National, it was confirmed she will become the youngest inductee into the LPGA hall of fame.
For a spell on day four, this threatened to be a procession. Ko raced five clear of the field after 11 holes. Drama then beckoned; she double bogeyed the 13th as her closest challenger, Esther Henseleit, finished with a flourish. The German managed birdies on her last two holes to post an eight under par target. Ko stood on the 18th tee at minus nine and with no margin for error. In emphasising the New Zealander’s Olympic specialism, she produced a birdie to win by two.
“Cinderella’s glass slippers are see-through and my podium shoes are also see-through, I guess that’s something that we both have going for us,” said Ko. “I feel like I’m part of this fairytale.
“Of course I wanted to complete it [the medal set] but it’s much easier said than done. I wanted to focus on my golf and nothing else. That’s why I deleted my Instagram, I didn’t want to be fazed by what other people were saying and just to enjoy this opportunity because this experience has been unbelievable.
“The French fans have been awesome, kind of taking me in as one of their own. It’s definitely a life peak for me here. I don’t think I’ve experienced this kind of adrenaline before.”
It feels such a shame this may be Ko’s last Olympics. She has no plans to still be playing golf when Los Angeles 2028 comes around. Ko has regularly stated she will not continue beyond 30. China’s Lin Xiyu took bronze at seven under par. Henseleit will almost certainly make her Solheim Cup debut next month.
Nelly Korda’s bizarre year continued with a back nine of 40 which played the world No 1 firmly out of medal contention. Having seemed unbeatable in the early part of 2024, she has struggled badly for form since winning the Americas Open in mid-May. Here, Korda shanked her approach shot to the 15th into water.
“Recently what’s been happening to me is I make a mistake and then I make another mistake on top of it,” Korda said. “I am needing to control that bit of it where I don’t compile all the mistakes.”
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Leona Maguire’s 71 was her finest round of the week by a distance, the Irish golfer having been hit by illness. “I felt absolutely rotten the last few days,” she said.
Team GB’s Georgia Hall shared 36th while Charley Hull’s 68 earned her a tie of 27th. The pair are now focusing on the upcoming Women’s British Open at St Andrews.