Another Olympics, and another final round in which Lydia Ko will have a chance to stand on the podium when all is said and done. Entering the 2024 Paris Olympics with a bronze and silver medal around her neck courtesy of her performances at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2016 Rio Olympics, the 27-year-old is now in the driver's seat to do one better and round out her medal collection with the one of utmost importance.
With rounds of 72-67-68 under her belt at Le Golf National, Ko stands at 9 under and in a share of the lead with Switzerland's Morgane Metraux, who entered the third round as the top name on the leaderboard. United States' Rose Zhang finds herself just two off the pace thanks in large part to a closing eagle on the par-5 18th to catapult her to 7 under. Meanwhile, her American teammate and reigning gold medalist, Nelly Korda, is still in with a chance at 4 under despite experiencing an up-and-down week thus far.
"Because I know I have a couple medals under my belt, I think it takes a little bit of pressure off," Ko told NBC. "I know coming into the week everybody was talking about what if you complete the set. That's obviously my ultimate goal, but I am playing alongside the best golfers and this golf course is tricky enough that it helps me to not focus on what could potentially happen. And to just have this opportunity going into tomorrow, it's super exciting."
Here's the top of the leaderboard entering the final round at Le Golf National:
T1. Lydia Ko (New Zealand): -9
T1. Morgane Metraux (Switzerland): -9
T3. Rose Zhang (United States): -7
T3. Miyu Yamash*ta (Japan): -7
5. Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand): -6
6. Mariajo Uribe (Colombia): -5
T7. Nelly Korda (United States): -4
T7. Celine Boutier (France): -4
T7. Xiyu Lin (China): -4
T7. Yin Ruoning (China): -4
With a gold medal, Ko would become just the 35th golfer to earn her place in the LPGA Hall of Fame. A winner of 20 LPGA Tour tournaments and a couple majors, the New Zealander needs just one more point to reach the 27-point threshold needed for entry. Already the only golfer — male or female — with two medals in her possession, Ko could also become the first to own three.
"I obviously haven't been in contention as much since being one point away, but I'm sure tomorrow there is going to be that adrenaline and nerves at some point throughout the 18 holes," Ko said. "I just have to take it all in. After the first couple holes, I have been able to calm down and just focus on what's in front of me, but at the same time I know all those nerves and feelings I am getting because this means a lot to me.
"If I am able to do it and tick one of those boxes that everybody's been talking about tomorrow at the Olympics, there would be no more special way to do it," she continued. "But no matter what happens tomorrow, I'm just excited that I am in this position and to have played some quality golf the past three days, especially around a golf course like this."
Although a small sample size, the 54-hole leader from both the 2016 and 2020 games ultimately came away with gold. This bodes well for both Ko and Metraux, but if the men's competition is any indication of what to expect, and with names like Zhang and Korda in contention, it is to expect the unexpected.
France's chance
For the second straight week, the home country will have an opportunity to medal at Le Golf National. While Victor Perez's final-round 63 saw him finish one stroke off the podium, Boutier finds herself in a much better position only three strokes out of bronze with 18 holes to play.
After shooting out the gates on Wednesday with an opening 65, Boutier was 11 strokes worse on Thursday. She bounced back nicely with a 71 in Round 3 with three straight birdies to end her day. After playing Nos. 13-15 in 2 under in the first round, Boutier has since played them in 5 over in the second round and 4 over in the third round. That stretch could ultimately determine whether she dons a medal or not.
Green's gradual improvement
Golf has proven to be a far cry from the 100 meter sprint. Scottie Scheffler was six strokes back with seven holes to play last week only to end up on top of the podium by competition's end. Meanwhile, the biggest riser this week has been Hannah Green, who found herself 12 (!!!) strokes off the pace after Round 1. Opening with a 77, the Australian has rebounded nicely with rounds of 70-66 to stand at 3 under and within arm's reach of the podium. On Friday, she closed with a back-nine 30 that included five birdies and a hole-out eagle on the difficult par-4 17th.
"I think I wasn't in the right mental state," Green said. "I was more disappointed because we were at the Olympics and I wanted to do so well, and Round 1 just felt like I threw everything out the window. But I knew that once it got tougher that would kind of suit me. Obviously, yes, I've played well the last couple days but, yes, I did probably put too much pressure on myself in Round 1, and yeah, the last two days, I felt fine on the course. I've had some nice people to play with, good chats. All those influences have a tiny bit to do with it."
