Tokyo Olympics 2021: Aussie golfer Hannah Green misses medals

Australian Hannah Green put on a late charge for the golf medals but couldn’t get there. Meanwhile, US golfer Nelly Korda grabbed gold despite a late scare.

Hannah Green took her country on a wild rollercoaster ride in her quest to be Australia’s first-ever Olympic golfing medallist.

In the end it was all about the journey, not the destination. No medal, but what fun it was.

The West Australian looked out of the running when she turned for home on Saturday, having dropped two strokes through nine holes to be well back from the leaders.

But the back nine which had served her so well over the previous three days again became her playground.

Green shot an incredible [six-under par] over the final nine holes to rocket herself back into contention.

It started on the 10th; a birdie that brought with it hope of something more. That came again on 13, before the magic happened.

Her approach to the Par 5, 14th landed over the back of the green and in the rough, 11m from the hole.

Australia's Hannah Green fought hard to get back in the medal hunt but came up just short. Picture: AFP

Needing something special, Green covered the distance with the wedge and more, finding the cup and pegging back two crucial strokes to put herself in the medal conversation once again.

Strap in, Australia.

The 24 year old started the day in a four-way tie for third and five shots back from world number one Nelly Korda atop the leaderboard.

As Korda and co continued their charge to a medal, Green’s push faltered.

She lost a stroke at the third, the same hole which produced a double bogey on Wednesday, and dropped another on the ninth to turn for home seven shots behind Korda.

But with the eagle came hope, and Green chained that breakthrough with birdies on 15 and 16 to put pressure on the leading group playing one hole back.

Then came the rain.

Green was left stranded on the 17th hole, five-and-a-half metres away from a birdie that would move her into equal-third with New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and Aditi Ashok of India.

The Aussie had 45 minutes to consider the putt for birdie and when she returned to the 17th green, rolled it mere inches to the right of the hole.

Her momentum halted, Green went on to bogey the 18th and finish, just as compatriot Cameron Smith had six days earlier, agonisingly short of a medal.

For all the day’s drama it was Olympic champion elect, Korda, who claimed gold.

The world number one produced a final round 69 to take the crown, seeing off Tokyo local Mone Inami and Rio runner-up Ko, who played off for silver and bronze.

Which colour? Aussie in box seat for golf medal

On Wednesday she played her worst golf in recent memory; Thursday, the charge began.

By the end of Friday’s third round, Hannah Green is in the box seat to claim Australia’s first-ever Olympic golfing medal – but which colour?

The West Australian will go to the tee on Saturday morning in a four-way tie for third, five strokes behind world number one Nelly Korda, who only a day earlier looked to be in a league of her own following an Olympic-record round of 62.

Hannah Green has found top form after a slow start in Tokyo.

But the American proved mortal on Friday and her closest rivals, Green included, bridged the gap to set up a fascinating final day of play from Kasumigaseki Country Club.

“She’s the one that probably has the most pressure. She’s been leading the tournament for the last couple of days and obviously had a great round (Thursday), but it is hard to back it up,” Green said of Korda.

“I’m just really happy that I managed to shoot under par again and hopefully I can keep the momentum into one more round.”

On a day where low scores were hard to come by, Green’s consistency was key.

The 24-year-old did much of her damage on the front nine, where she sank four birdies from holes five through nine to turn for home at nine-under.

The Aussie successfully navigated the tricky back nine, winning a stroke on the 15th, to head into the weekend full of confidence.

Nelly Korda has come back to the field.

Her putting game was again a feature, with Green successfully sinking another tricky six-foot putt on the 18th where many others had faltered.

“I rolled some really good putts out there today and some didn’t go in, which more than often happens, so I’m very happy with par (on the 18th),” Green said.

“The greens here are perfect – I actually find them quite easy to read.”

But the Aussie is not the only player queuing up to take gold from Korda’s grasp.

India’s Aditi Ashok sits in outright second at 12-under par, just three shots back from the world number one.

Rio silver medallist Lydia Ko of New Zealand shot a round’s-best 66 to move alongside Green and into equal fourth at 10-under par, where they are joined by Emily Pedersen (DEN) and Mone Inami (JPN).

With the threat of late-afternoon rain on Saturday, organisers have pushed tee times forward to 7.30am AEST to hopefully get the full 72-hole slate away successfully.

The more the better for Green, who started the day with the minor medals in her sights but after Korda’s stumble has gold on her mind.

India's Aditi Ashok is rright in the title hunt.

“I want to play as boring golf as possible – hit every fairway and every green and give myself the best opportunity to make birdie,” she said.

“Five or six-under (for the round) could possibly get me a podium finish, but I’m not going to think about it too much.

“I just want to try and post another good number and see what happens.”

Fellow Aussie Minjee Lee continued her up and down Olympics campaign with a round of 72 on Friday, leaving her well outside medal contention at 1-under par.

If rain does wipe Saturday’s play, Green would be in line to share bronze.

Golf star nearly pulls off impossible at Olympics

American world number one Nelly Korda came within a whisker of producing just the second-ever sub-60 round in professional women’s golfing history at the Olympics on Thursday.

Korda carded a ludicrous 9-under on the par-71 Kasumigaseki Country Club course to take a four-shot lead over her nearest rivals into Friday’s third round – but it could and perhaps should have been greater.

Ten-time LPGA major winner Annika Sorenstam was the last – and only – female player to shoot a sub-60 round, when she did so in the second round of the Standard Register Ping in March 2001.

Nelly Korda was in brilliant touch in Tokyo.

Twenty years later, Korda headed to the 18th tee with Sorenstam’s lofty mark in sight, needing a birdie on the tricky Par 4 to join the Swedish superstar in the history books.

Instead the normally unflappable American struggled through the final hole, obviously aware that history was on offer, and ended her afternoon with a double bogey.

Korda’s 9-under 62 still set an Olympic record round and put her in the box seat to win Olympic gold and leaving the rest of the field likely fighting for silver and bronze.

Australia’s Hannah Green is one such contender, after producing a stellar 6-under round of her own to finish the day three shots back from the minor medal placings.

After a “rusty” opening round by her own admission, Green found the going much easier on Thursday, with aid from ice vests and slushies to battle the stifling Saitama heat.

The West Aussie carded eight birdies but it was a hard-fought par on the hole that brought Korda unstuck that had Green most excited.

“It felt like making a birdie to be honest,” she said.

“Eighteen is a strong hole … I am very happy to make four.”

Green came home in 31 to stay in touch with Danish duo, Emily Pedersen and Nanna Koerstz Madsen, and India’s Aditi Ashock who finished the day in a tie for second at 9-under.

Fellow Aussie Minjee Lee improved on her even-par opening round but has left herself with plenty to do if the recent Evian Championship winner is to add an Olympic medal to her trophy cabinet.

Aussie Hannah Green in still in the medal hunt.

A back nine run of three birdies helped with her confidence, but Lee admitted to being “a little bit p***ed off” with her putting.

“I feel like I had a lot of missed opportunities definitely early in the round,” Lee said.

“I couldn’t really get the pace of the shorter putts today for some reason but I finished strong so that balances it out I guess.”

With wet weather forecast for the final round on Saturday, Lee said it would be a tough ask to get back into medal contention if she has just 18 holes to work with.

“I think if we were playing two more rounds then I could still be a chance – they said it (the rain) might miss us, so fingers crossed,” she said.

Organisers are expected to make a call on the final round early on Friday.

Aussie women some of golf’s hottest medal prospects

She left it late, but Minjee Lee’s breakthrough Evian Championship title victory late last month means Australia will boast two of the five major winners present at the Tokyo Olympics.

Lee, 25, came from seven shots back on the final day to claim her maiden major in what was the perfect pre-Games tune-up says Australian golf captain Ian Baker-Finch.

“Totally. To have won the last Major her confidence is high, she feels good about herself and a lot of that pressure is gone now that she has finally won one,” Baker-Finch told News Corp.

“And to be alongside Hannah, who is just a delight to be with, will suit her well.”

Lee joins fellow West Australian Hannah Green as well as Patty Tavatanakit (THA), Yuka Saso (PHI) and world number one Nelly Korda (USA) as major winners teeing off in the opening round at Kasumagaseki Country Club on Wednesday.

In Lee and Green there is great optimism that one, if not both, could return home with Australia’s first golf medal.

Cameron Smith came agonisingly close in the men’s side of the draw on Sunday, missing the historic seven-man bronze medal playoff by a single stroke.

Minjee Lee. Picture: AFP

Hannah Green. Picture: Getty Images

Baker-Finch said the long fairways and picture-perfect greens would perfectly suit the two Aussies’ games.

I’d say our chances are very good,” he said.

“(The course) is going to play quite long for the women. There’s not a lot of roll on the fairways – both Minjee and Hannah hit the ball a good length, they’re in the top echelon of driving distance so it will suit them.

“And the greens are in 100 per cent condition and both girls are putting well. That’s what it’s all about here.”

Lee previously represented Australia in Rio, the only returning member of the 2016 contingent, where she finished in a tie for seventh and two shots back from the bronze.

Other key names in the field include Rio medallists Inbee Park (gold) of South Korea, New Zealander Lydia Ko (silver) and China’s Shanshan Feng (bronze).

The opening round of the women’s competition begins on Wednesday morning from 8.30am AEST.

Lee will tee off at 11.14am AEST followed by Green at 11.36am AEST.

Originally published as Tokyo Olympics 2021: Aussie golfer Hannah Green misses medals