As the greatest golfers in the world compete this month for the prestigious “green jacket” at the Masters match which begins on November 12 at Augusta National Golf Club, olympic.org seems again on the sport’s highlights at the Games Nanjing 2014 and Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympics (YOG).
In flawless last, Lee wins first YOG gold
A flawless, bogey-free last noticed Lee So-young of the Republic of Korea take the high step of the podium in the girls’s particular person occasion at the Nanjing 2014 YOG, turning into the first ever gold medalist in an Olympic golf occasion for over 100 years and the very first YOG champion in the sport. With a two-stroke lead after the first two innings, the 17-year-old birdied to complete at 65, or 14 beneath par, three strokes forward of his closest rival, Cheng Ssu-Chia, from Chinese Taipei.
“I was trying not to think about the gold medal,” Lee mentioned after the competitors. “I played really hard today and made seven birdies and no bogey. To win the first Olympic gold in golf in over 100 years is an incredible feeling.”
A gap in historical past for the Canadian Gil
Tony Gil put his identify in the report books in the preliminary spherical of the males’s particular person occasion at the 2014 Nanjing YOG, making the first hole-in-one in Olympic historical past. Off the tee of the third gap at Zhongshan International Golf Club, the Canadian landed a 7-iron shot that bounced the ball earlier than touchdown in the gap, regardless that the 16-year-old didn’t notice at the begin that he had made a gap in a single.
“I knew I was close, but I didn’t think she was in it until I got on the green and saw the ball in the hole,” he mentioned. When he discovered he made historical past with the first gap in a single in an Olympic competitors, Gil added, “It’s nice. It’s truly additionally the first gap in a single of my profession!
Tight play-offs for crew medals
The blended crew occasion at the 2014 Nanjing YOG got here to a spectacular finish, with two sudden-death qualifiers wanted to determine on the podium locations. The Swedish crew of Marcus Kinhult and Linnea Strom finally took the win, when Kinhult birdie putt 2.5 meters on the second further gap to beat the Korean duo shaped by Lee So-young and Youm Eun Ho.
“I am so happy and proud to have won the gold medal,” Kinhult mentioned after the reality. “It’s fun to play as a team and it’s more enjoyable than the individual games. To be part of the team, to compete in the Olympics and to win the gold medal is really great.”
The bronze medal was additionally determined by a play-off, the Italian crew of Renato Paratore and Virginia Elena Carta and the Danish crew of John Paul Pultz Pinnerup Axelsen and Emily Kristine Pedersen having completed tied with a rating of 14 beneath the by. It solely took yet one more gap to separate the groups, Paratore and Carta each having par for bronze.
“We were hoping to win, but the bronze medal is fine too,” mentioned Paratore, who had beforehand gained gold in the males’s particular person occasion.
Vilips triumphs because of a number of spectacular birdies
Australia’s Karl Vilips entered the last spherical of the males’s particular person occasion at the YOG Buenos Aires 2018 with a one-stroke lead over American Akshay Bhatia, however with six holes to go it seemed like the latter was going. win gold at the Hurlingham Club, the historic membership in the Argentine capital. In the rain, Bhatia had began off by gaining a three-stroke lead over his Australian rival, however a pricey double-bogey in the 14th opened the door for Vilips, who birdied spectacularly on 4 of the final six holes to beat Bhatia and safe the YOG title.
“I never thought I could achieve something like this,” Vilips mentioned after the reality. “It is a dream come true to have done what I have done here.”
Mixed groups purpose low in gold medal race
The blended crew occasion at the YOG Buenos Aires 2018 was marked by a bathe of birdies over all three rounds, with scores amongst the lowest ever at the Games.
Italians Alessia Nobilio and Andrea Romano stole the present in the first spherical with 9 birdies and one eagle for 57 of their four-ball, with a spectacular hole-in-one for Romano in the ninth.
In the second spherical, Thais Atthaya Thitikul and Vanchai Luangnitikul rose to the high of the standings with a complete of 68, giving them a one-shot benefit over the Italian duo as they approached the last day of play.
With each gamers’ scores factored into the crew’s last spherical complete, the medal race was very vigorous. A surprising 66 from Akshay Bhatia and a 71 for Lucy Li appeared to safe gold for the United States, main the Thai duo by 5 photographs with solely three holes remaining. But thanks to 2 final birdies from Thitikul, the Thais received forward of the Americans, which made it doable to conclude in an thrilling approach the golf occasions of Buenos Aires 2018.