Lydia Ko wins gold at Le Golf National to complete full set of Olympic medals

Sunday, 11 August 2024

Kiwi Lydia Ko won gold at Le Golf National on Sunday, finishing two shots clear of Germany’s Esther Henseleit .

It completed the full set of Olympic medals for Ko, and earned her the all-important final point she needed for LPGA Tour Hall of Fame status.

Ko finished 10-under the card on the back of her final round 1-under 71.

Her tears dried up and the Olympic gold medal hanging from her neck, Lydia Ko confirmed what everyone suspected.

'This is my last Olympics. I'm going to say it in front of everyone.'

What a way to sign off. Three Olympics, a medal of each variety, after her two-stroke win at Le Golf National on Sunday morning (NZT).

And, of course, her remarkable achievement came with another nugget - the one point she needed to secure LPGA Tour Hall of Fame status.

'I mean, Cinderella's glass slippers are see through, and my podium shoes are also see through,' Ko said in the mixed zone, looking at her shoes featuring a transparent section.

Ko had not long ago been in tears atop the podium, soaking up every moment as New Zealand's anthem filled the air 36km southwest of Paris.

There had also been tears on the 18th green, after she iced her victory by knocking in a 8-foot birdie putt.

Before playing her final shot at an Olympics, she replaced the ball maker with her husband’s name, Jun Chung, engraved on it, with the ball.

He wasn't there in person to watch her make history, but Ko could not help but think about him and her family as her “Cinderella story” came true.

'Thanks to them, I am a gold medallist now. I think all of those emotions combined was why I was crying,' she said.

'I definitely don't have our national anthem on repeat on Spotify. To hear our national anthem, I can understand why [American] Scottie Scheffler was so emotional last Sunday [after winning the men's tournament]. It's a feeling you can't repeat unless you're in that position again.'

Ko, sitting at the top table for the post tournament press conference, later made it clear that would not be possible.

To be fair, who would have thought Ko would complete the full set of Olympic medals, particularly given her struggles since March have resulted in her world ranking slipping to No 22?

Ko didn't bag a top-10 between March and last month's Canadian's Women's Open and has made no secret she's struggled with aspects of her game, none more so than off the tee.

But she'd felt progress in the lead up to Paris. So, when she went into the final round with a share of the lead with Switzerland's Morgane Metraux, Ko put her game face on.

'I knew the next 18 holes were going to be some of the most important 18 holes in my life,’’ she said.

Ko stormed to a five-stroke lead halfway through her final round, highlighted by holing a magnificent 46-foot birdie putt on No 7.

She was making it look easy on a course which is anything but. That was before she got into trouble on 13, landing her approach in the drink en route to a double bogey.

While Metraux was capitulating alongside Ko on her way to an ugly 7-over 79, German Esther Henseleit was making a charge a bunch of groups ahead.

She birdied the final two holes to shoot 66, and suddenly Ko's lead was down to one-stroke with three holes to play.

In the clubhouse and watching eagerly was Henseleit, hoping the Kiwi would at least drop one shot to force a playoff.

But Ko kept her cool, drilling par putts 15 through 17, before icing the win with that aforementioned birdie, improving her final score to 10-under the card.

And it was a popular victory with locals, many of whom stayed long after her final shot, calling out to her from behind the cordons while she was whisked from the mixed zone to the press conference in a cart.

Ko could only mouth 'sorry' and wave, her Olympic days in the rear-view mirror.

Watch ThreeNews tonight at 6pm for more news from Paris. ThreeNews is made by Stuff and available on ThreeNow and Three.