Wide open race for Olympic women’s golf gold as Ko, Metraux share Paris lead

A tight battle looms for top honours in the Olympic women’s golf tournament as the competition headed into the final 18 holes on Saturday with New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and Morgane Metraux of Switzerland at the lead of the field.

Ko, a two-time Olympic medallist who beat out Aditi Ashok in a battle for bronze at the Tokyo Games and Olympic debutant Metraux were tied on 9 under par totals after an eventful third day at Le Golf National.

“I’m going to give it my all tomorrow and I’m going to try my 100 per cent,” Ko said later. “And if it’s meant to happen, it’s going to happen. Standing on the podium is a once in a lifetime kind of fairytale emotion and I would love to feel that tomorrow.”

Ko returned a 4 under 68 on Moving Day to rise two places on the leaderboard while overnight topper Metraux needed a final hole eagle for a 1 under 71 and a continued share of the lead even as the wheels fell off the Indian challenge.
Both Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar, who were inside the top 15 overnight, went backwards throughout Friday to return 6- and 7-over cards on the day.

Ko, for whom gold in Paris would complete the Olympic medal set after silver at the 2016 Rio Games carded six birdies against two bogeys while Metraux, who had grabbed the lead on Thursday with an Olympic nine-hole record 28 recovered from a mid-round wobble well with her 18th hole recovery.

“I stayed patient. I think that was the key for me today,” Metraux said. “I know this course is very, very difficult and any hole can get to you at any point.”

Rose Zhang of the US and Japan's Miyu Yamashita shared third place on 7 under par, with Zhang also making eagle on the 18th to stay in the medal hunt. They were followed by Thailand's Atthaya Thitikul on 6 under and Colombian Mariajo Uribe on 5 under, with the latter having announced her retirement after the Paris Olympics.

Tokyo champion and world number one Nelly Korda of the US was inconsistent but did enough to stay within sight of the leading pack on 4 under 212 in a share of seventh place alongside home favourite and first-round leader Celine Boutier.