Nelly Korda’s Gold Medal Dreams Shattered by Catastrophic Collapse in Olympic Golf

Nelly Korda’s Gold Medal Dreams Shattered by Catastrophic Collapse in Olympic Golf

In a heart-stopping turn of events, Nelly Korda, the reigning Olympic golf champion, saw her quest for gold derailed by a catastrophic blunder on the 16th hole during the second round of the Olympic Golf Competition in Paris. With a promising start and a solid performance in the initial stages, Korda’s pursuit of defending her gold medal seemed on track until disaster struck in the form of a quadruple-bogey seven on the par-3 16th.

 

Korda, a 26-year-old star from Team USA and the world’s top-ranked golfer, began the day with a level-par 72. Her second round, however, started with a noticeable shift as she expertly maneuvered through the front nine, showcasing her exceptional skill. She made four birdies on the outward nine and continued her impressive play with additional birdies on the 11th and 15th holes, catapulting her into contention at 6-under par, just two shots off the leader, Morgane Metraux of Switzerland.

 

But then, the unthinkable happened. On the par-3 16th, Korda’s round took a nightmarish turn. Her tee shot landed short of the green, splashing into the lake. The setback only compounded as her third shot found the greenside bunker, where the ball plugged into the sand. Despite a valiant effort to escape, her splash-out left her with a lengthy putt. Three-putting from there, Korda was left with a quadruple-bogey seven, plunging her from 6-under par to 2-under par for the tournament.

 

The misfortune didn’t end there. Korda, visibly shaken, bogeyed the par-4 17th but managed to salvage some pride with a birdie on the par-5 18th, ending the day with a 2-under 70. Her final score of 2-under par left her in a precarious T12 position with two rounds remaining, six shots behind the leader. Despite the setback, Korda remains in the hunt for a potential gold medal defense, though her path to victory has become significantly steeper.

 

Switzerland’s Morgane Metraux leads the competition with an impressive 8-under par, closely pursued by China’s Ruoning Yin, who sits just one shot back. New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, a former World No. 1, is three shots off the lead in solo third at 5-under par. Meanwhile, home favorite Celine Boutier, who had been leading, experienced her own collapse. After a strong start, Boutier endured a nightmarish three-hole stretch on the back nine, with double-bogey-double bogeys, dropping her to 3-under par, five shots behind the leader.

 

In a disheartening development for Team GB, Charley Hull, who had hoped for a turnaround after a disastrous first round of 81, finished her second round with a 1-under 71. Unfortunately, this performance did little to improve her standing, leaving her at 8-over par for the tournament, 16 shots off the lead. Hull, who revealed that a shoulder injury from a recent fall had hampered her performance, also admitted that the absence of smoking on the course was affecting her game.

 

Georgia Hall, another participant from Team GB, has also struggled, sitting at 4-over par after consecutive rounds of 74. With two rounds remaining, the competition is intensifying, and the pressure is mounting as players strive to overcome their obstacles and claim Olympic glory.