She rattled off the names of each team member. She knows she should be in that last group, she knows she should win tournaments. She is the youngest player to win two major championships.
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In the end, nine-hundreths of a point separated her 15th ranking from the next golfer, secured by Piller’s eighth-place finish that week in July’s U.S. Women’s Open.
And she’s never had a hole-in-one?
Unlike players in the men’s game, all of the top women golfers made the trip to Rio for the tournament. And what a time to do it.
Park carded a closing 66 at Reserva de Marapendi to finish 16 under par, five shots clear of world No 1 Lydia Ko, who birdied the last to claim silver ahead of China’s Shanshan Feng. “It is a huge honour”, Ko said after the dramatic finish. “It’s a huge honor and I think it could be the highlight of my golfing career”.
Slowed all year by a thumb injury that led to speculation she might retire, Park was dominant as ever Saturday at Olympic Golf Course.
Inbee Park of South Korea, birdies on the 13th hole during the final round of the women’s golf event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016.
“It is a shame I couldn’t come away with a medal but I finished tied 7th. Just going to go day by day”.
Ko was another shot back at nine-under, while Piller and Britain’s Charley Hull were on eight-under.
“My first Olympics were a fantastic experience and I got a good buzz off it”.
All of that seemed unlikely for Ko after a lackluster start to the tournament.
Lewis shot a one-under 70 and ended the opening day five shots back of Jutanugarn.
After sleeping for the second straight night on a two-shot lead, Inbee Park pulled the margin out to as many as six shots through the first nine holes with an outbound 4-under 31. Her second shot landed in the left side bunker, and she went beyond the green with her third shot.
That has added to questions raised about the direction her career was heading, especially after the young phenom Ko supplanted her as world number previous year.
“I was able to get mentally and physically strong enough this week but I really didn’t expect this sort of result”. Because it’s the first one and the wind is blowing and I haven’t had the best of luck when it comes to hole-in-ones. Ko and Feng both closed with 69s.
Piller’s latest and most notable accomplishment playing for her country came in September, when her 8-foot putt proved pivotal in the US comeback victory in the Solheim Cup.
United States of America women’s team member Stacy Lewis suggested that men make too much money compared to women golfers to bother representing their countries. She understands her game, her swing, and she is very proficient at her craft. “There was a little bit of confusion for me whether I can perform well this week because of injury”.
Lydia Ko of New Zealand didn’t stand a chance, and neither did anyone else. “To be here and especially on the first day, the first hole, I nearly needed to pinch myself if I was really here in Rio and really competing in the Olympics”.
“To be able to stand on that podium, its nearly more than what you could imagine. But I’m happy where I’m standing and I look forward to tomorrow”. Just start imagining and dreaming about it’.
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“You know that if you play well then there won’t be so many players playing well themselves. Things can change so quickly”.
