“It is a really hard one”.
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“The putter just got hot”, Lewis said.
The best of the best in women’s golf taking aim at three prizes a century in the making. The trip to Rio was essentially their honeymoon.
Su Oh this morning became the first Australian female golfer to play a shot in the Olympics when she teed off at 10.14am local time. “I was kind of fighting it on a couple of holes, but overall it was a good day to get a feel for the course”, said the 18-year-old.
“I’m going to try to keep calm as much as I can”, she said. Her bid for a fourth straight birdie spun out on the 13th hole, and she missed a 6-footer on the next hole.
The tournament got under way three days after Britain’s Justin Rose won the first men’s gold medal in 112 years in a down-to-the-wire fight with Henrik Stenson of Sweden. She was four shots off first round leader Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand.
The key to the round for Lewis, who finished her day one shot clear of Nicole Broch Larsen, who was still on the course? “We’re heading in the right direction and still haven’t played my best golf yet”.
Lydia Ko of New Zealand, waits to hit on the 18th hole during the second round of the women’s golf event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016. In the run-up to Rio she was asked about all the concerns swirling about these Games and she offered a two-word rebuttal: “F– it”.
“I think for our tour and for women’s golf, any time we can get people to experience what we’re about and the way we play, you know, it’s different than the guys”, Lewis said.
“I don’t see double bogeys on my card too often, which is a good thing”.
“Someone was just telling us that TV ratings for the men were awesome, through the roof, and that was really exciting to hear”, said Henderson, ranked No. 3 in the world.
Based on the golf Olympic regulations, the top 15 players in rankings as of July 11 may play for the Olympics with a limit of four golfers for each country Park, Kim, Yang, and Chun were ranked No. 3, No. 5, No. 6, and No. 8, respectively, in the Rolex Rankings.
As well as a low score, Lewis had red shoulders by the end of a sunny day.
The South Koreans, however, have been a force in women’s golf. Ashok’s name translates to “mother of the son god”. She was bogey-free in her round of 66.
Oh, and Piller, whose already has flown 90,000 miles this year, said she pulled weeds at her home, which left her hamstrings killing her.
Whatever the reason, the women’s event, which teed off here on Wednesday, drew more of the top player’s in the world and seemed to be greeted with greater enthusiasm in the months leading up to the Rio Games.
Whatever burden Lewis feels is more personal. She racked up frequent flier miles since playing in the Ricoh Women’s British Open.
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A former No. 1 in the world, Lewis has gone more than two years since her last victory. But gone is the lone wolf ethos that often had Lewis playing practice rounds alone. “I really don’t know what’s going to happen”. I pretty much scrambled on the first two holes and came off with good pars. Of the opportunity to be a part of the Games, she said, “It’s a huge honor, and it could be the highlight of my golfing career”.
