The defending gold medalist Nelly Korda (United States) was unable to swing her way back to the top to defend her title. 

The fourth and final round of golf teed off early Saturday morning with performances that rearranged the leaderboard. 

Walking away with the gold, Lydia Ko (New Zealand) finally secures her spot in the LPGA Hall of Fame 

with her impressive stack of accomplishments throughout her professional career, 

including a previous silver and bronze medal from the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympic games, respectively. 

At just 27 years old, Ko holds a list of honors only few could achieve. 

Taking home the silver medal was Germany’s Esther Henseleit, marking this as her first ever appearance as an Olympic athlete. Henseleit truly left it all out on the green, clawing her way back from 13th place at the end of Round 3. She started the Final Round at just 2-under but ended with a silver medal and a score of 8-under; just two strokes behind Ko. 

Lin Xiyu (China) collected the bronze medal, finishing the tournament 7-under; one stroke behind Henseleit. While Paris 2024 was Xiyu’s third Olympic appearance, Saturday’s performance left her with her first medal. 

Team USA did not secure a spot on the podium, and Rose Zhang was the first American to appear in the list of rankings, coming in 8th place. Her Final Round performance was less than ideal, scoring +2 for the round to bring her total to 5-under. 

As the rankings continue downward, Nelly Korda (United States) will be the next Team USA member to appear on the list, pulling an agonizing 1-under that placed her in a three-way tie for 22nd place. 

Not the ideal spot for the defending gold medalist. 

Her rank took a dive from Round 3, where she finished in 6th place, eager to continue on to the top. Her resolve was not enough for 2024, but we look forward to seeing her on the Olympic team again.

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Source: Tampa Bay Times