Women worth waking up to watch
Olympics has another compelling golf show on tap in Paris
Lydia Ko on the cusp of two historic accomplishments (Ben Jared/PGA Tour/IGF)
If you’re like most golf fans, you’re probably not watching the Women’s Olympic Golf Competition in Paris. That’s too bad, but it would be par for the course — especially since NBC didn’t bother to include any golf (men’s or women’s) in it’s live network programming. Got to fit in all that springboard diving that NOBODY watches except during the Olympics.
But there are compelling reasons to wake up Saturday morning and turn on the Golf Channel or stream Peacock instead of NBC, which will be showing volleyball, women’s water polo and the scintillating drama of the marathon instead of the golf taking place at Le Golf National. The storylines developing in the women’s golf medal chase are pretty entertaining and the golf course provides a template for volatility with birdies aplenty and watery graves everywhere.
1 — Lydia Ko. The New Zealand golf superstar is in position to fulfill a pair of incredible feats at the Olympics. She shares the 54-hole lead at 9-under with Switzerland’s Morgane Metraux. Taking gold would complete a medal slam that seems unlikely to ever be replicated, as Ko won silver in the 2016 Rio Games and bronze in the Tokyo Games in 2021. But even more, the victory would clinch Ko’s place in the LPGA Hall of Fame — the hardest of all golf halls of fame to earn entry into since it requires hitting the hard-to-reach milestone of 27 points accumulated by winning tournaments (1 point each), majors (2 points) or the Vare Trophy (season scoring average) or Rolex Player of the Year Award (1 point for each). Only 25 players have ever reached that 27-point milestone, the latest being Inbee Park in 2016. It’s kind of a big deal. First things first. In her prior two Olympics, Ko finished in the same medal position she started the final round with (second in Rio and T3 in Tokyo). So sharing the gold position bodes well. “Hopefully give myself a good run at it,” Ko said. “The Olympics doesn’t come every year and to be a three-time Olympian is pretty cool.”
Maríajo Uribe could leave the professional ranks with an Olympic medal (Ben Jared/PGA Tour/IGF)
2 — Maríajo Uribe. The 34-year-old Colombian could do one of the coolest things ever in golf — win a walk-off Olympic medal. Uribe long ago announced she will retire from professional golf at the end of the Olympics. She originally planned to retire following the 2020 Tokyo Games after having recently given birth to her son, but the COVID postponement to play in 2021 without fans prompted her to rethink her retirement plan and stick around for a few more years to see if she could craft a better experience in Paris. While the 2007 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion never became an LPGA star after graduating from UCLA, she managed to qualify for her third straight Olympics by winning her first and only LET event at the 2024 Women’s New South Wales Open in March to boost her into the 60-player field. Having finished T19 in Rio and T50 in Tokyo, Uribe is doing more than just having fun in Paris, shooting 70-70-71 to sit alone in sixth and two shots behind earning a walk-medal. “Yeah, I mean, this is my third Olympics, but Paris feels different,” said Uribe. “I’m really happy with the decision I made, and it’s been an amazing week so far.”
Rose Zhang earns a spot in the final group (Tracy Wilcox/PGA Tour/IGF)
3 — Rose Zhang. Arguably be greatest women’s amateur in history continues building her rising superstar status in the professional ranks with an Olympic medal challenge. The former NCAA (twice), U.S. Women’s Amateur, U.S. Girls’ Junior and Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion won her first professional start last year and wasted no time qualifying to represent the United States in the 2023 Solheim Cup and 2024 Olympics. She’s improved every day at Le Golf National (72-70-67) and is tied for third with Japan’s Miyu Yamashita at 7-under and booked a spot in the final grouping with Ko and Metraux chasing for gold. Zhang briefly climbed into a four-way share of the lead at one point Friday with an eagle on 14 but then pulled a Rory and rinsed her approach from the fairway on 15 in the water for double. Undeterred, she stuck her approach on 18 for a kick-in eagle. “First goal is to put yourself in position and give yourself opportunities …” Zhang said. “I’m here to just enjoy the grind and I know I’m going to have to grind tomorrow but you know, you just have to be in the moment.”
Can Nelly replicate Scheffler and do what Schauffele couldn’t? (Ben Jared/PGA Tour/IGF)
4 — Nelly Korda. The world No. 1 and defending gold medalist is in position to pull a Scottie Scheffler and rally for gold — which would be fitting considering how parallel their accomplishments have been in 2024. That Korda still has a chance at all is amazing since she suffered a devastating quadruple 7 on the par-3 16th hole in the second round and began the third round with a couple of early bogeys to fall further off the pace before rallying to get back into the top 10 heading into the final round five shots behind the lead. She’d have been closer if not for a short missed par putt on 17. “So I’m happy with the way that the day played out after the start that I had,” Korda said. “Obviously I wish I could take 17 back but I can’t. I have six three-putts this week, and that’s just the reality. I’m not going to be sad about it. I’m just going to go to the putting green right now and try to bounce back tomorrow.”
French favorite Celine Boutier should hype the vibe in Paris ((Ben Jared/PGA Tour/IGF)
5 — Celine Boutier. The Frenchwomen is a big part of the reason the crowds at Le Golf National near Versailles will be so engaged. She got the party in Paris started with an electrifying first-round 65, picking up where France’s Victor Perez left off in the men’s event barely missing out on a medal after a Sunday charge left him alone in fourth. A second-round 76 as well as a damaging triple on 13 in the third round slowed but didn’t derail Boutier’s quest, as she bounced back with three closing birdies on Friday to remain in the medal conversation at T7 and just three shots off the podium.
Morgan Metraux of Switzerland eagled the last to share 54-hole lead with Lydia Ko (Ben Jared/PGA Tour/IGF)
Metraux hangs tough to keep digging for gold
SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France (IGF/DD) — New Zealand’s Lydia Ko boosted her bid to complete the full set of Olympic medals as she moved into a share of the lead with Switzerland’s Morgane Metraux after the third round of the Women’s Olympic Golf Competition.
The two-time major winner appeared set to hold the outright lead with one day to play until surprise act and playing partner Metraux produced an eagle at the par-five 18th to join her at 9-under after 54 holes.
Ko mixed three birdies with a lone bogey at the seventh to turn in 2-under. She then cancelled out a birdie at the 10th with a bogey at the 12th, before birdieing the 17th to take a two-shot lead to the last.
It was then that Metraux, who had been in the shadows of others for most of Friday, produced her best moment of the round as she backed up an excellent approach at the final hole with an equally impressive 20-foot putt for eagle to record a 1-under 71.
While it was not as eye-catching as Thursday’s 6-under 66, in which the Swiss golfer played the front nine in 28 blows, world No. 137 Metraux showed her resolve after her round threatened to unravel with three bogeys in a four-hole stretch from holes 10-13.
Two shots adrift sit their nearest challengers in Rose Zhang of USA and Japan’s Miyu Yamashita, both Olympic debutants.
Zhang made eagles at the 14th and 18th in her 67 that also included a double bogey at the par-4 15th, while Yamashita — two years her senior at age 23 — posted a 4-under 68.
The Japanese was one of just two bogey-free rounds on Friday, with the other going to Canada’s Brooke Henderson as she hit a 5-under 67 to leave herself at 2 under.
Defending gold medalist Nelly Korda sits in a four-way tie at 7 under after a third-round 70, along with France’s Celine Boutier and China’s Xiyu Lin and Ruoning Yin.
Australia’s Hannah Green carded the best round of the day with a 6-under 66 that featured seven birdies and a stunning 153-yard, hole-out eagle at the par-4 17th to climb into a tie for 11th.