The world's number one female golfer and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion, Nelly Korda, had a challenging day at Le Golf National. She made three bogeys in the first seven holes, falling far behind. However, Korda gradually regained her stability, making three birdies in the final 10 holes before encountering trouble on the last hole with three putts to get the ball in the hole. Korda finished the first round at par, tied for 13th place.
Korda explained that the green speed on the first day was quite slow compared to the practice rounds, which caused things to not go as expected. "I took a bit of time to adjust, and the situation improved in the last nine holes. I hope to maintain this progress in the coming days," said the American golfer.
Before the Paris 2024 Olympics, Korda had a perfect warm-up by becoming the first LPGA golfer to win six times in a single season, including five consecutive victories, with a major title at the Chevron Championship. Therefore, despite the first-round results, Korda remains the top contender for the Olympic gold medal in 2024.
Celine Boutier's impressive performance after the first day.
Of course, she will have to work very hard to surpass Celine Boutier, who is leading the standings after an excellent day of play. With eight birdies, including three consecutive birdies on holes 14, 15, and 16, the 30-year-old golfer completed the first round with a score of -7, creating a three-stroke gap with the runner-up, South African golfer Ashleigh Buhai. Gaby Lopez (Mexico), Morgane Metraux (Switzerland), Mariajo Uribe (Colombia), and Lilia Vu (USA) are tied for third with a score of -2.
Ahead of the 2024 Olympics, Boutier was not highly rated, partly due to her unremarkable performance in 2024. While she won four titles in 2023, including a major at the Amundi Evian Championship, and rose to third in the world rankings, this year she has dropped to seventh. However, entering the Olympics, receiving support from tens of thousands of home fans, Boutier quickly regained her peak form, making a strong start for her Olympic medal quest.
"Nobody wants to play bad on home grounds. It's always nice to get a good start, but I also know that it's still a long way to go, and I have to focus on the next round." Boutier shared.