Golf 2020 Tokyo Olympic Review

Men’s Event

With only a handful of players left on course during the opening round, play was suspended due to a lightning risk. When the round was finished, it was a continental leaderboard. In first, scoring a 63 was Sepp Straka (Austria) ahead of Jazz Janewattananond (Thailand). Fourth at the last Olympics, Thomas Pieters (Belgium) was tied for third. Day two also ended with adverse conditions, meaning some had not completed their rounds. Xander Schauffele (United States) had gone on to take a one-shot lead from Carlos Ortiz (Mexico), whilst Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) began to close in and was only two shots off the lead. In the third round, the cream of the crop came to the fore. Schauffele led on -14 with Matsuyama on -13. Paul Casey (Great Britain) headed a group of several players on -12, with Rory McIlroy (Ireland) on -11. The pressure came from Rory Sabbatini (Slovakia) who carded an incredible -10 to leave himself on -17. Xander Schauffele shot the -4 needed to take victory on -18. Behind them though, seven players finished on -15 leaving them set up for a massive playoff. On the first playoff hole, it was Casey and Matsuyama, who could not score the par required to go to playoff hole two. On the third playoff hole, Colinn Morikawa (United States) hit an incredible iron at the hole. Inspired, four more went close with Cheng-tsung Pan (Taiwan) closest. Those two managed to hole their putts and move onto playoff hole four. As Morikawa could only score bogey, Pan took bronze with a par.

🥇Xander Schauffele 🇺🇸

🥈Rory Sabbatini 🇸🇰

🥉Pan Cheng-tseng 🇹🇼

Women’s Event

Leading after the opening round was Madelene Sagstrom (Sweden), on -5. Just behind were Nelly Korda (United States) and Aditi Ashok (India). South Korea, such a strong golfing nation, had all four of their golfers within four shots of the lead. Korda seized control on day two, scoring a 62, despite a final hole double bogey, leaving her four shots clear of Nanna Koertz Madsen (Denmark), Emily Pedersen (Denmark) and Ashok. The scoring was not as impressive in round three, but Lydia Ko (New Zealand) shot -5, to move into a tie for third. She was two behind Ashok and five behind Korda. Heading into the final round Korda had to just hold on for victory and that was what she did. She would score -2 again, to leave herself on -17. Behind her, it was Ko who scored -6 and Mone Inami (Japan) who joined her on -16 to force a playoff for the medal matches.

🥇Nelly Korda 🇺🇸

🥈Lydia Ko 🇳🇿

🥉Mone Inami 🇯🇵