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| Silver (Lydia Ko - New Zealand) Gold (Inbee Park- Korea) Bronze (Shanshan Feng - China) |
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| Inbee Pary (Gold) Lydia Ko (Silver) Shanshan Feng (Bronze) |
South Korean star Inbee Park held off the rest of the field Saturday in Rio to win gold at the first women's golf competition since 1900.
Park, 28, shot a 5-under 66 in Round 4 to lap the field at 16 under — the same mark Justin Rose posted to win the men's competition. Park had not made a cut on the LPGA Tour since April, and had not played at all since June because of a troublesome left thumb injury.
But this week, she rediscovered the form that made her one of the most successful women golfers of all time. After Park enjoyed an historic run in 2015 that included winning the Career Grand Slam, she endured some criticism for even playing in the Olympics having missed most of this season.
She answered those critics by proving she's still one of the game's best players. "Being able to be standing here, representing South Korea is very special," Park said on Golf Channel after her final round. "It's a huge honor and I guess it could be the highlight of my career."
South Korea had four players in the field this week — the most out of any country — so it's no surprise the country earned gold.
However, the favorite to win gold heading into the event was overwhelming world No. 1 Lydia Ko. Ko, who was born in South Korea but chose to play for New Zealand — the country where she spent most of her life — earned a silver medal after finishing at 11 under.
Ko made a clutch 10-foot putt for birdie on the par-5 18th to earn second place.
China's Shanshan Feng earned the bronze medal after finishing the tournament at 10 under. She shot a 2-under 69 in Round 4 to outlast a host of players chasing her.
One of those players was American Stacy Lewis, who shot a 5-under 66 Saturday to get to 9 under. She tied Japan's Harukyo Nomura for fourth. Lewis finished her final round with six birdies and one bogey.
Lewis was trying to join American Matt Kuchar, who won bronze in golf on the men's side. Fellow American Gerina Piller played in the final group alongside Ko and Park, but she stumbled into a tie for 11th at 6 under. Piller shot a 3-over 74 with three bogeys and no birdies during her last 10 holes.
With Park's win, South Korea has now earned at least 20 medals for the eighth-straight summer games.
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Park, 28, shot a 5-under 66 in Round 4 to lap the field at 16 under — the same mark Justin Rose posted to win the men's competition. Park had not made a cut on the LPGA Tour since April, and had not played at all since June because of a troublesome left thumb injury.
But this week, she rediscovered the form that made her one of the most successful women golfers of all time. After Park enjoyed an historic run in 2015 that included winning the Career Grand Slam, she endured some criticism for even playing in the Olympics having missed most of this season.
She answered those critics by proving she's still one of the game's best players. "Being able to be standing here, representing South Korea is very special," Park said on Golf Channel after her final round. "It's a huge honor and I guess it could be the highlight of my career."
South Korea had four players in the field this week — the most out of any country — so it's no surprise the country earned gold.
However, the favorite to win gold heading into the event was overwhelming world No. 1 Lydia Ko. Ko, who was born in South Korea but chose to play for New Zealand — the country where she spent most of her life — earned a silver medal after finishing at 11 under.
Ko made a clutch 10-foot putt for birdie on the par-5 18th to earn second place.
China's Shanshan Feng earned the bronze medal after finishing the tournament at 10 under. She shot a 2-under 69 in Round 4 to outlast a host of players chasing her.
One of those players was American Stacy Lewis, who shot a 5-under 66 Saturday to get to 9 under. She tied Japan's Harukyo Nomura for fourth. Lewis finished her final round with six birdies and one bogey.
Lewis was trying to join American Matt Kuchar, who won bronze in golf on the men's side. Fellow American Gerina Piller played in the final group alongside Ko and Park, but she stumbled into a tie for 11th at 6 under. Piller shot a 3-over 74 with three bogeys and no birdies during her last 10 holes.
With Park's win, South Korea has now earned at least 20 medals for the eighth-straight summer games.
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