New Zealand’s Lydia Ko boosted her bid to complete the full set of Olympic medals as she moved into a share of the lead with Switzerland’s Morgane Metraux after the third round of the women’s golf competition in Paris.
The two-time major winner appeared set to hold the outright lead with one day to play until surprise act and playing partner Metraux produced an eagle at the par-five 18th at Le Golf National to join her at 9 under after 54 holes.
Ko, who is bidding to become the first woman in the modern Olympic golf era to win three straight medals (she won silver at Rio 2016 and bronze at Tokyo 2020), mixed three birdies with a lone bogey at the seventh to turn in 2-under. She then cancelled out a birdie at the 10th with a bogey at the 12th, before birdieing 17 to take a two-shot lead to the last.
It was then that Metraux, who had been in the shadows of others for most of Friday, produced her best moment of the round as she backed up an excellent approach at the final hole with an equally impressive 20-foot putt for eagle to record a 1-under 71.
While it was not as eye-catching as Thursday’s 6-under 66, in which she played the front nine in 28 blows, world No.137 Metraux showed her resolve after her round threatened to unravel with three bogeys in a four-hole stretch from holes 10-13.
Two shots adrift sit their nearest challengers in Rose Zhang of USA and Japan’s Miyu Yamashita, another Olympic debutant.
Zhang made eagles at 14 and 18 in her 67 that also included a double bogey at 15, while Yamashita posted a 4-under 68.
The Japanese player was one of just two bogey-free rounds on Friday, with the other going to Canada’s Brooke Henderson as she hit a 67 to leave herself at 2-under.
Defending gold medalist Nelly Korda sits in a four-way tie at 7 under after a third-round 70, along with France’s first round leader Celine Boutier and China’s Xiyu Lin and Ruoning Yin.
Australia’s Hannah Green carded the best round of the day with a 6-under 66 that featured seven birdies and a stunning 153-yard, hole-out eagle at the par-4 17th to climb into a tie for 11th.
Georgia Hall and Charley Hull, representing Team GB, are tied 27th and tied 36th, after shooting rounds 71 and 69 respectively.
For the latest scores from Paris, click here.