Inbee Park let it be known early in the day Saturday that the Olympic Gold Medal would be hers and hers alone.
While Lydia Ko got off to a slow start and Gerina Piller took a nosedive on the first two holes, Park showed the nerves of the steady, accomplished veteran that she is. She parred the first two holes when they were playing difficult then reeled off three straight birdies starting at three, just to let the rest know who the boss was.
Park added another birdie at eight to get to 15-under par and basically crushed her competitors. In the end, she added an eight-foot birdie putt at the 17th hole to give herself a six-shot lead going to the 72nd hole.
A short par putt later and the 28-year-old Hall of Famer was the Gold Medal champion. Sixteen under par, five full shots ahead of Silver Medal winner Lydia Ko, six in front of the Bronze that Shanshan Feng won for China.
Park’s 66 was simply too much for anyone close to her to overcome. She came into the week with virtually no expectations and left with the admiration of her country.
“It definitely feels unreal, this is something I’ve been dreaming of, there were a lot of Korean people here supporting me. I felt like I was at home. I’ve worked really hard for this week. I’ve gone through some tough times but this is a big relief,” said the world’s fifth-ranked player.
The only dramatic moment came on the 72nd green when Ko needed an eight-foot putt for birdie to take the Silver. It rolled slowly over the left lip, teased her, then fell into the back of the cup for a 69 and the big consolation medal. “I hoped it would go in,” Ko said with a huge smile on her face. “I celebrated like a Gold Medalist. It’s a dream come true,” said the youngest women ever to win an Olympic medal for New Zealand.
The Americans were shut out of the medal podium. Stacy Lewis started the day in position for a medal but needed a low score. Her 66 came up a shot short of a playoff for the Bronze. At nine-under, she can look back on the double-bogey seven she made Friday at the not-so-difficult par five 18th as the culprit that cost her dearly.
But it’s been the story of her season. A lot of high finishes, no wins.
Gerina Piller started the day just two shots back of Park and was in the best position of any American. But she got off to a sloppy bogey-bogey start that sent her on her way to a 74 and a tie for 11th at six-under par. Lexi Thompson shot 66 but it was too little too late for the USA’s highest-ranked star. She finished tied for 19th at three-under par.
The excitement of the medal ceremony overshadowed a new Olympic record set by Maria Verchenova, the 348-ranked player in the world. She shot a nine-under par 62 that no one saw coming after she shot rounds of 75-70-73. She had a hole-in-one at the third, was four-under par through those holes. She had started on the back nine and shot five-under par there. Keep in mind she shot 62 with two bogeys.
Her 62 was the lowest score by a man or woman. She finished four-under and tied for 16th for Mother Russia.
