Weekend Wrap: Ko Hits The Olympic Trifecta
Golden performance adds to her Silver and Bronze medals in another nice Olympic golf effort. Plus, Malixi takes the U.S. Women's Am, Mickelson says too much (as usual), and R.I.P. Chi Chi.
Golf’s return to the Olympics eight years ago prompted a minor debate other major sports leagues have faced: do we shut down for two weeks while the world revels in the Games? Or do we march on with the not-remotely-vital business of growing playing opps and purses that fund EVP’s second home dreams at the risk of looking out of touch?
During the last two Olympics the PGA Tour has kindly not competed with the men’s competition with one of those gruesome, all-hands-on-deck “opposite field” events that has the Cult PVB calling up retired reservists from the prior century to round up the field. But after the week off, the PGA Tour returns to business as the women play for gold and what appears to be total disrespect for their counterparts. While some might suggest it’s a disservice to the women’s game, remember that (A) the PGA Tour Commissioner and top lieutenant who once worked at the LPGA Tour couldn’t name a top player under oath, (B) the Tour has had a partnership with the LPGA that took years to produce just one silly season mixed event, and (C) there is a method to the greedy madness that played out Sunday.
As in, wheel out another lowly event—this time the poor Wyndham Championship that hasn’t drawn a big name since Tiger showed in 2015—that highlighted what lowly depths professional golf hits after years of treating Sea Island brats like they’re next in line to the throne. But at least Sunday’s show of cluelessness reinforced the purity, passion and nobility displayed by the women’s Olympic golf.
We’ll get to the Matt Kuchar situation in Greensboro soon. But not before reveling in an incredible accomplishment by Lydia Ko. The 27-year-old, who was born in Seoul and represented her home country of New Zealand for the Olympics, miraculously made it three for three, six for six, and 27 for 27 en route to winning gold in women’s golf.
In addition to pairing her 2016 silver and 2020 bronze with 2024’s gold won at Paris-adjacent’s Le Golf National, Ko’s win gave Olympic golf it’s sixth quality finish in six efforts. In another twist no planner could have imagined, the win means Ko played her way into the LPGA and, eventually, World Golf Hall of Fames.
“It's a hell of a way to do it,” Ko said after clinching the final LPGA HOF point winning by two via a 278, 10-under-par total. “For it to have happened here at the Olympics, unreal. I do feel like I'm a mythical character in a story tale. It really couldn't have gotten any better than I could have imagined, and I've had so many grateful things that happened in my career so far, and this really tops it. I couldn't have asked for anything more to be honest.”
Ko has more than done her part to highlight the meaning of playing for a country that is rarely part of international team competitions.
“I've had an unbelievable experience in my three Olympic -- competing in my last three Olympics,” the two-time major winner said. “I hope that they are inspired, and kids in China and Germany and all of these other countries players that are here representing this week and last week are going to be inspired to be here or playing Brisbane or L.A. in the future. I think that's a big key. All of us are here as athletes and trying to do our best, but at the same time, we want to inspire the future generations, and I think this week has been exactly that."
The reference to Germany and China was a modest nod to silver medalist Esther Henseleit of Germany and Xiyu Lin, the bronze medalist from China.
And with that bit of humility acknowledging her podium counterparts, Ko summed up why she’s an ideal winner for Olympic golf: hailing from a smaller country, sharing the moment with grace and rising to the occasion without money on the line.
Also of note:
Ko shot a 1-under 71 in the final round that saw her expand the lead to five before things grew closer on the back nine before a final hole birdie allowed her to reach 10-under.
She will be inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame after earning the Olympic gold medal after obtaining the final point necessary. The World Golf Hall of Fame will follow.
Ko’s win marks the third consecutive time since golf’s 2016 return that a 54-hole leader/co-leader of the women’s competition has gone on to earn gold.
Ko was in the final group for the third-straight women’s Olympic golf competition.
In 11 Olympic rounds Ko has been in the 60’s for eight of them.
Only female with multiple medals in Olympic golf and the only golfer to have won three medals. Men who earned multiple medals: Chandler Egan/USA/one gold and one silver, Burt McKinnie/USA/one silver and one bronze, Frank Newton/USA/one silver and one bronze).
Others…
Mariajo Uribe eagled No. 18, carding a 1-over 73 during her final round of golf as she plans to retire from professional play following Saturday’s completion of the 2024 women’s Olympic golf competition. She was understandably emotional after contending and riding off into the sunset with such a grand finish.
Albane Valenzuela’s (T13/-3) 7-under 65 tied for the second-lowest final round score in the modern history of women's Olympic golf, bested only by Maria Verchenova (RUS) in Rio who shot a 9-under 62.
First-round leader Celine Boutier finished as the top Frenchwoman after carding a 2-over 74 during her final round (T22/-2).
Nelly Korda was 1-under through 14 holes of the final round before a triple-bogey 7 at No. 14. Her final-round 75 dropped the world No. 1 to a T22 finish in in defense of her gold medal. Korda failed to record a round in the 60s at Le Golf National.
Hubert Chesneau’s 1990 design (carried out with Robert von Hagge as a consultant) has proven to be a successful host of big-time events. Le Golf National’s finishing holes and ability to reward something besides bombing and gouging produced a nice variety of contenders. Maybe someday it’ll see another Ryder Cup?
Robust galleries were especially noticeable on a property where it takes a big crowd to fill up ample stadium mounding. The added excitement and turnout was a credit to golf’s growth in France.
After dropping a no-doubt-about-it F-bomb during Friday’s third-round broadcast, Golf Channel analyst Morgan Pressel fumbled an attempt to apologize at the start of Saturday’s final round. “I just want to take a moment to acknowledge something that I said yesterday during the broadcast,” Pressel said. “I stumbled over my words and unfortunately it sounded as if I said something inappropriate and I’m so sorry that it came across as such because I would never say that on the air in a broadcast.” Uh, but you did. Loud and clear. Despite NBC’s efforts to scrub the remark from Twitter. However, a search rhyming with “truckin’ tired sup” suggests she very much Pressel said it and should just own the mistake. Or she should have said she “$%&@ed up!” Wait, no, scratch that.
Next up for Olympic golf is a slightly earlier July, 2028 date in Los Angeles at Riviera. The International Golf Federation is expected to lobby for the addition of two mixed-team play rounds jammed between the men’s and women’s stroke play. It’s not particularly sexy and might even force some players to pass depending on surrounding schedules four years from now. But at least the addition of a mixed team component could inject an element of Olympian strength if an athlete double-medals in both individual and mixed team play.
Ultimately, the issue of golf’s return keeps coming back to the current middle ground exceeding expectations while still falling somewhat flat when juxtaposed against other Olympic competitions.
Even the new Olympic entry of Breaking involved a form of combative match play that golf could easily wheel out. Given how the match format has been abandoned by Tours and television’s concerns are less of a priority for a change, it could give Olympic golf the edge it needs.
So yes, Lydia Ko was nice. The third iteration of golf’s Olympic return was, overall, really nice. And winners since the sport returned after a century in the IOC doghouse have been exceptional. (Particularly by limited-field-no-cut-stroke play standards where runaways are possible.) But does nice remotely capture faster, higher, stronger or generate that intangible sense of accomplishment for athletes who merely making the Games and instill national pride regardless of their accomplishment?
Golf comfortably clings to nice over bold, imaginative and daring way too often. Then again, nice is better than the alternative…
Elsewhere…
Aaron Rai has become the latest DP World Tour alum to win on the PGA Tour. The Englishman posted a bogey-free final round 64 to overtake Max Greyerson and win the Wyndham Championship. Greyserman reached six-under-par on his round after eagling the par 4 13th by holing a 91-yard second shot, before quadruple bogeying the par 4 14th, making a bounce-back birdie at the 15th before double-bogeying the 16th.
The event miraculously finished Sunday in the dark after the remnants of Debby washed out the first round and delayed the start of Friday play.Sunday play was not completed because Sea Island’s finest, military-grade, first-ballot Point Misser HOF’er Matt Kuchar decided to lodge some sort of weird protest against playing past dark. Even though his final round score meant nothing other than wrapping up the mediocre conclusion so everyone with a life could go home and Mooch could put the clubs away now that his season is done.Playing in the final group, it seems Kuchar rationalized his decision to be the only golfer not to complete final round play because the round should have stopped earlier before the official sunset time. “We were so far past when we should’ve stopped playing,” he told Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis. “We saw what Max did on hole 16; they should’ve blown the hole there. I feel bad, the poor kid should’ve won this tournament. By me not playing, it may show Max he has an important shot to hit.” Well, Max finished but Kuchar will make a few poor souls return Monday to watch him to lock in a +1 round and T12 finish. And to be slapped back into the reality of coddling brats who think of no one but themselves.
Graeme McDowell has been banned for one LIV event and fined $125,000 for violating the league’s drug policy. McDowell purchased and used a decongestant that included R-methamphetamine. And in keeping with the LIV tradition of taking the golden opportunity of showing they actually enforce a doping policy and fumbling the moment, McDowell issued a statement taking a shot at unnamed tours for engaging in less rigorous testing than LIV.
U.S. Women’s Am: History Made With Repeat Final
In one of the more incredible feats and telling statements about the youth movement in golf, the two U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur finalists met again in the U.S. Women’s Amateur final at Southern Hills.
Only six previous U.S. Girls’ finalists have ever made the Women’s Amateur final in the same year, making the repeat feat that much more impressive.
Just three weeks ago 17-year-old Rianne Malixi defeated Asterisk Talley 8 & 7 in the 2024 U.S. Girls’ Junior at El Caballero Country Club. The teen duo, friendly competitors, and roommates earlier this year at the Sage Valley Junior enjoyed a tight match until Malixi’s six birdies in Sunday’s portion of the match gave her the 3 & 2 wins.
Malixi became the fourth female to win two USGA titles in the same year and just the second player in history to win the U.S. Girls’ Junior and U.S. Women’s Amateur in the same year (Eun Jeong Seong, 2016).
Malixi is also the first native of the Philippines to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur.
“I wasn't expecting to win the Australian Master of Amateurs in January and then win U.S. Girls’ last month and then this one,” Malixi said of her mighty run. “I was so surprised. Even though I was playing good golf, I was just not expecting it.”
The 15-year-old Talley, who first became known nationally via the Drive, Chip and Putt, took a 1-up lead following the opening 18 holes played Saturday afternoon because of storms in the Sunday morning forecast. The Chowchilla, Calif., briefly extended her lead to 2 up before Malixi’s birdie run began at the par 5 fifth hole. The 2025 Duke University commit took the first 3-up lead of the day after a Talley three-putted the par-3 eighth, then impressively got the match back to square with a birdie and par on Nos. 10 and 11.
Then Malixi made three straight birdies and would soon finish out an incredible summer at the 16th green where she nearly holed out a bunker shot.
“I think on the 12th hole we tied, and then I was like, ‘Just treat the next six, seven holes as your last four holes like I did with training with my dad,’” Malixi said. “And then just flipped the switch there and just kept on making birdies, and I was hitting really good shots and then putts happened to drop.”
Talley recognized her accomplishment in making the finals at 15 with more opportunities ahead.