Inbee Park on course for Olympic gold as battle for podium places heats up

20 August 2016 02:53

Korea's Inbee Park looked on course to claim the first Olympic gold in women's golf since 1900, but the remaining medals were firmly up for grabs in Rio.

Park took a two-shot lead into the final round at Reserva de Marapendi and extended it in style thanks to a hat-trick of birdies from the third and another on the eighth.

That took the seven-time major winner, whose place in the Games was in serious doubt due to a thumb injury, to 15 under par and into a five-shot lead over China's Shanshan Feng, with world number one Lydia Ko another shot behind on nine under.

Nine players were within three shots of Ko in the bronze medal position, with A merican Gerina Piller on eight under, Great Britain's Charley Hull and American Stacy Lewis on seven under and Sweden's Anna Nordqvist among the group on six under.

Play had started from both the first and 10th tee due to the threat of bad weather later in the day, with the final group of Park, Ko and Piller teeing off at 8:44am local time (1244BST).

After a brilliant display on the front nine, it was a major surprise to see Park pull her tee shot on the 10th into the water, resulting in the 28-year-old's first bogey of the day.

And when Feng holed from 10 feet for birdie on the 11th in the group ahead, the gap was down to just three shots heading into the toughest part of the course.

Ko remained two shots behind Feng in third, with Hull only a shot adrift thanks to a birdie from six feet on the 11th.

Source: PA