Jutanugarn, major opponent for Korean golfers
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Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn in action during day four of the Women’s British Open at Woburn Golf Club, Woburn, England, Sunday. / AP-Yonhap
By Kim Jeong-kyoo
South Korea’s female golfers will tee off at the Olympic Golf Course in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 17, aiming to win a gold medal. Apparently, the public believes South Korean female athletes will clinch the gold at the 2016 Summer Games. But many experts are in doubt. Or rather, they believe the Korean team is on red alert in Rio.
Golf is one of the most highlighted events this August as the sport makes its return to the Olympics after more than a 100 year absence and there are many of world’s top-class golfers taking part in the Olympics, the world’s biggest sporting event.
Among them are Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson and Ariya Jutanugarn. They are the three best in women’s golf right now. And Jutanugarn has the most consistent, complete game.
Ko, 19, is a golf prodigy and a favorite to win the gold in the Rio Olympics. She made her debut as a pro golfer at the 2013 LPGA CME Titleholders, finishing 21st. In her second event as a pro, she won the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic three days after her 17th birthday.
In 2015, Ko claimed her first major, the Evian Championship, becoming the youngest-ever winner of a women’s major. Ko has achieved 14 career victories by now and she is the top player in the world in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.
Ko said in an interview with News Hub on Aug. 1, “I would love to be holding a medal at the end of the week but there’s so much to enjoy about the Olympics. Just to have the name ‘Olympian’ attached to your name, I think that’s the great thing about it.
“If you play great golf and end up holding one of the three medals I think that’s a fantastic week like the cherry on top of the cake, but no, I’m just going to enjoy it, no matter what.”
Henderson, with an average driving distance has 267.78 yards, has an advantage on the long Olympic Golf course in Rio. In the recent Ricoh Women’s British Open 2016, she tied for 50th.
Jutanugarn, 20, won the Ricoh Women’s British Open on Sunday at Woburn, England, for her first major championship and fourth LPGA Tour victory of the year. She struggled in the nerve-wracking back nine but overcame a dose of misfortune. She claimed the trophy by three strokes over Korean Lee Mi-rim and Mo Martin from the U.S. Jutanugarn finished with an even-par 72 for a total score of 16-under 272.
Once again, Jutanugarn, a long hitter, played the game without a driver, hitting most of her shots off the tee, using her 2-iron. Now she’s competing with Ko for Player of the Year.
Interestingly, smiling is part of her new pre-shot routine. When her ball deviated from the target on the back nine Sunday, Jutanugarn kept smiling. “When I get really excited or nervous, I know what I have to do,” Jutanugarn said. And it will be “smiling.”
“I really wanted to win a major, and I did, so I’m very proud of myself,” Jutanugarn said. She defeated more than 143 other players in the field at the Woburn Golf Club.
Right now, she is brimming with confidence, enjoying her ability to hit the ball solidly and winning. She is, for sure, a favorite at the Rio Olympics.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” Jutanugarn said. “I can’t wait. I’m really excited about playing golf at the Olympics.”
Korean female golfers should not underestimate this Thai golfer. The rising star has already issued a red alert to the Korean players.
Kim Jeong-kyoo is a Korea Times golf columnist. He can be reached at kimjstar@hanmail.net.