New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko... Silver, bronze and finally Olympic gold. GETTY IMAGES

Lydia Ko was the favourite and she delivered, despite being five shots behind at one point in Saturday's final. However, the closing stages of the championship were exciting and close. Germany's Esther Henseleit secured silver, almost challenging the champion after a historic comeback that saw her climb eleven places in the final round.

She won silver at Rio 2016, bronze at Tokyo 2020 and now, at Paris 2024, she has finally won gold after a thrilling final in which she finished two shots ahead of Germany's Esther Henseleit, who made an impressive Olympic comeback. Bronze went to China's Xi Yu Janet Lin.

American Nelly Korda, the world number one and defending champion from Tokyo three years ago, finished 21st. Ko, who took silver at Rio 2016 and bronze at Tokyo 2020, secured the medal that eluded her.

The tournament began on Wednesday at Le Golf National and on Saturday, after more than eight hours of action and much anticipation, it ended in New Zealand's favour.

Women's golf podium: Lydia Ko, Esther Henseleit, and Xi Yu Janet Lin. GETTY IMAGES
Women's golf podium: Lydia Ko, Esther Henseleit, and Xi Yu Janet Lin. GETTY IMAGES

The final hole brought all the excitement the crowd had been waiting for. However, it was unexpected for the now Olympic champion Ko. The New Zealander started the day with a one-stroke lead over Henseleit. She didn't buckle under the pressure. She birdied the final par 5 of the championship to secure victory.

Ko finished on 10 under par (278 shots). She was two shots ahead of Germany's Henseleit and three shots ahead of China's Xi Yu Janet Lin. The 27-year-old New Zealander came to the Paris Games with the sole aim of becoming an Olympic champion. She had come close to glory at two previous editions, achieving her goal with a total of 278 strokes (10 under par) and rounds of 72, 67, 78 and 71.

The 27-year-old Ko has won everything there is to win, but she was still missing the final piece of the Olympic jigsaw. She has 28 titles to her name. 20 of those have come on the LPGA Tour. Her greatest achievement was becoming world number one before the age of 18, the youngest person, male or female, in the history of golf to do so.



Other favourites, such as Switzerland's Morgane Metraux, failed to make the cut. After a modest performance, Ko produced a spectacular fourth round. It gave her the final push she needed.

Five players started the final day within five shots of each other, but they couldn't match Ko's pace. The standard of play was high and the conditions were tough, as evidenced by the fact that only twenty players broke par on the final day. The golfers faced a challenging course with no respite over the 18 holes.

Morgane Metraux, who wasn't in medal contention on the final day, left Paris with an Olympic record. She set a new record on the first nine holes of the second round with a score of 28 strokes (8 under par). It was two strokes less than the 30 she shot in the first round of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship in 2023.

Results:

 Lydia Ko (New Zealand) 278

 Esther Henseleit (Germany) 280

 Xi Yu Janet Lin (China) 281