There came a moment during the final round battle for the Olympic Gold Medal when Nelly Korda could have let it slip away.
Her heart, grit, determination and fight would let it happen.
Nelly Korda is the proud winner of the Gold Medal in women’s golf — winning it on a drama-packed final day where weather cooperated and things turned her way in the final moments.
After a short weather delay, Korda watched Inami hole a 12-footer for birdie to tie her at 17-under par. When it was Nelly’s turn, her short pitch at the 17th left her nine feet for the lead but she hit her putt too hard, watching it skirt past the cup.
Inami hit a perfect drive at 18 and with 179 yards to the hole, she suffered the same fate as Collin Morikawa in the playoff for the men’s Bronze Medal a week ago. She came up short and her ball was semi-buried in the sloping face of the bunker just short of the green. Like Morikawa, her sand shot came up short, leaving her 25 feet for par. She missed and closed with a bogey, a 65 and a 16-under par total, leaving the Gold Medal door open for Korda.
Korda didn’t flinch. Her drive stopped in the first cut, left side of the fairway and from 142 yards, she cruised a smooth nine-iron to 18 feet and an easy two-putt par for the Gold.
Things could have ended up different had Korda let a huge gaff at the par three seventh stop her. After a dream start with three birdies over her first six holes, Korda missed the seventh green left and faced a difficult pitch. She didn’t hit it hard enough and it rolled back down the slope, leaving her another tough short shot. Her third was a repeat of the second, it came up short and rolled back down again. She got her fourth within three feet but the double-bogey five dropped her back to 14-under par and tied with playing partners Lydia Ko and Aditi Ashok.
How did Korda respond? She birdied eight, nine and 10 to get to 17-under and re-established control of the tournament.
“It just motivated me more,” Korda said of the double-bogey. “I can’t go out like this — I’m gonna fight,” was what she told herself. “I never lost the lead but I felt like I did.”
From that point, Korda went on a par binge and by time she walked off the 17th hole, she was tied with Inomi. But in the end, Inomi couldn’t close.
Ko and Inomi tied at 16-under and played-off for the Silver Medal, won by Ko in 2016. The playoff took just one hole as Ko found the deep bunker right of the fairway and had to hit an eight-iron for her second that left her 15-yards short of the green. Inomi found the fairway, hit her second to 35 feet and waited for Ko. Ko hit a nice pitch to seven feet. Inomi narrowly missed her birdie attempt and tapped in for par. She then watched as Ko missed her par putt and the Silver belonged to the Japanese star, Ko took Bronze.
Inomi is not that well known outside Japan but she won five times on the Japan LPGA Tour this season and is a star in her home country. She was swarmed by Japanese photographers as she walked off the 18th as the Silver winner.
As for Korda, it was a grind of a day. “A lot of fight, it was not easy. A lot of stress, a back-and-forth day. It’s crazy, it sounds absurd that I’m a Gold Medal winner. It hasn’t sunk in yet.”
When the United States national anthem was played, Nelly’s older sister Jessica broke out in tears.
Proud moment for both, great moment for the best player in women’s golf.
One Comment
baxter cepeda
It should not be that complicated.
Another Great couple of weeks for Olympic golf, and not just because USA walked away with two golds baby!!
The men’s competition was outstanding; only wish Collin got us another medal.
But The women’s game was even better considering many of them already see this as the ultimate prize in golf. Inbee Park made no bones about it last time. Nelly hasn’t said as much but her and sis Jess’ reaction certainly showed it was something special for them.
Inomi is yet another lesser known athletes stepping up big for the home team at the Olympics. Her putting stroke is up there with Queen B and the great Lydia Ko, who is being celebrated for her sportsmanship in Tokyo but more importantly now has a bronze to go with her silver. If an American doesn’t win in ‘24, Like so many I will be rooting for Lydia to get her gold so she can complete the set. Its no doubt her Olympic record will forever be a huge part of her resume; it will no doubt influence in a positive way where she ranks in history.
The Olympics and golf are clearly here to stay. It’s clear how good the Olympics are for golf; and specifically for athletes who make it especially if they win hardware.
The Olympics bring sports like golf into many new people and countries radars. At the same time time established companies love to sponsor Olympic athletes, especially medalists…everyone in golf needs to understand this already.
It’s really not that complicated.