But it went in regardless, capping a remarkable week of golf for the LPGA Hall of Famer that was as much surprising as it was dominating.
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Oh eventually signed for a 70 to leave her tied 13 at five under par.
Park made three straight birdies early in the final round Saturday, never let anyone closer than three shots the rest of the way and closed with a 5-under 66 for a five-shot victory at Olympic Golf Course.
“I was playing really well, didn’t do anything bad and just hit one bad shot into a really bad place that I couldn’t recover from”, Oh lamented after making bogey up 14 to compound the problem before a closing birdie to ease the burden.
With five Koreans in the world’s top 10 and only four allowed to compete, Park was put under pressure to make way, but the seven-time major victor proved all her doubters wrong with a stunning five stroke success.
World number one Lydia Ko of New Zealand birdied the 18th hole to win the silver meal, edging out China’s Shanshan Feng by one stroke.
Park started the day at 11-under, two shots over Ko and Gerina Piller of the United States.
Park’s lead is down to four after a pull-hook left into the water on the par-5 10th and a Feng birdie, but it’s still a healthy lead. There was nothing guaranteed because I hadn’t played well this season. Piller shot a 3-over 74 with three bogeys and no birdies during her last 10 holes.
“I’ve won majors, but I haven’t won a gold medal, so this feels very, very special”.
Ko, sitting next to her at a news conference, leaned into a microphone and said, “She’s really good”. After starting the day in a tie for 41st and sitting at 5-over-par for the event, Russia’s Maria Verchenova is 8-under with a couple holes to play on the front nine.
Park got South Korea’s sole medal, which should be some consolation for the country that some said had a chance to sweep the podium, since it sent the biggest squad of all competing nations with four players in the field. “Whether it was a worry or whether it was people thinking she’s going to do good, there was a little bit of confusion from me whether I can perform well this week or not, because I really haven’t performed well this year with the injury”. A large gallery held up South Korean flags for her to see behind every green and on the way to every tee. She used a 6-iron from 153 yards on the fourth. “I just realized it when I came back there, and they said, ‘Oh, do you want your card, because you have a course record.’ I was like, of course I want it”. It was like that all day – all week.
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She finished at 16-under 268, the same score with which Justin Rose won the gold medal last Sunday in men’s golf.
