Inbee Park was not even sure she would play in the Olympics until recently, dogged by a stubborn thumb injury and questions in South Korea over whether she could lead the country’s female golfers in Rio de Janeiro.
She silenced the doubters and even surprised herself with a commanding performance this week to seize the first women’s Olympic golf title in 116 years.
“I really wanted to do well this week to show people that I can still play,” Park said, after winning by five strokes on Saturday.
Photo: EPA
“I’m just happy to be playing right now. Nothing really was guaranteed a couple of months ago, whether I can still play tournament golf. So I’m really happy for that.”
Park’s thumb injury has forced her to skip some recent tour events, depriving her of much-needed tournament experience to hone her game before golf’s historic return to the Olympics.
It didn’t show. With her lazy swing that seems to just drop from her shoulders, Park took the lead in the second round and never really looked seriously threatened, despite having world No. 1 Lydia Ko breathing down her neck.
In a display of her patented steady, mistake-free golf, Park shot three rounds of 66 and a 70 on the par-71 Rio Games course.
A former world No. 1 now ranked fifth, Park is still just 28, but has seven women’s majors under her belt. Earlier this year, she became the youngest person to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame.
She has been one of the most dominant golfers of either gender over the past five years until the recent emergence of Ko, a 19-year-old phenom.
Stacy Lewis, a two-time major winner who finished fourth in Rio after failing to chase down Park, said it was time golf began to recognize the low-key, underappreciated South Korean.
“What she has done is amazing,” Lewis said. “She is in the Hall of Fame, she has won a gold medal, she has done something no one else has done. She is certainly one of the best of all time.”
South Korea sent four golfers to Rio, more than any other country, a reflection of its dominance of the women’s game. With five South Koreans in the world’s top 10, pressure was high to bring back medals.
Taiwan’s Teresa Lu finished in a share of 16th after rounds of 70, 67, 73 and 70 gave her 280, while Candie Kung was 31st among others after shooting 67, 68, 76 and 75 for 286.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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