Korda Weathers Storm To Complete US Olympic Golf Double

World number one Nelly Korda held her nerve during a storm delay to clinch Olympic gold on Saturday and complete a US golf clean sweep at Tokyo 2020

Kawagoe (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Aug, 2021 ) :World number one Nelly Korda held her nerve during a storm delay to clinch Olympic gold on Saturday and complete a US golf clean sweep at Tokyo 2020.

Korda carded a final-round 69 to finish at 17-under-par 267 and win by one stroke from Lydia Ko of New Zealand and Japan's Mone Inami.

Inami secured a silver medal for the host nation at the first extra hole when Ko missed a 10-foot putt for a par.

That went some way to making up for the agony suffered by golf fans in Japan six days ago when Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama missed out on a bronze medal in a seven-man playoff on the same Kasumigaseki Country Club course.

US world number four Xander Schauffele, who won the men's competition last week, tweeted a message of support for Korda, urging her to "bring home the gold".

But she had to sit out a late break for "dangerous weather" and hold off the charging pair of Inami and Rio 2016 silver medallist Ko, who both carded superb six-under par rounds of 65 to put her under immense pressure.

After almost an hour's suspension because of the storm, Inami sank a birdie putt at the 17th green to move into a tie for the lead.

But the world number 28 buried her approach into the face of a greenside bunker to drop a crucial shot when a par at the last would have forced a playoff for gold.

Ko, playing in the final group with Korda, had an eagle putt at the 17th from just off the green to make it a three-way tie at the top.