It was a challenging start for Ireland’s Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow in the Olympics golf tournament at Le Golf National, seeing them far behind the leader and hometown hero, Céline Boutier. Both Irish golfers delivered a six-over-par round of 78, placing them 13 shots behind Boutier and ranking joint 50th out of 60 competitors. Only four other players posted a higher score on a problematic day in Paris.
Maguire’s first nine holes consisted of 43 shots, including a double bogey on the first and a triple bogey on the ninth, contributing to a day marred by mistakes. She did manage birdies on the 12th, 16th and 18th holes, sinking a 28-foot putt on the 16th, and reaching the green in two shots on the par 5 at the 18th. However, bogeys on the 15th and 17th holes marred these successes.
Meanwhile, Meadow’s performance was free of major mishaps but marked by seven bogeys, leaving her with much ground to cover in order to vie for a medal. Her only birdie was scored on the 18th hole. She expressed optimism moving forward, acknowledging her errors and hoping to leverage her successes on the upcoming days.
The Irish duo stands merely eight shots away from a bronze medal despite a troublesome day where only 12 participants scored below par. This feat highlights the remarkable performance by French competitor Boutier, who delighted home spectators.
Boutier, 30, posted a commendable seven-under-par 65 with eight birdies and just one dropped shot. She holds a three-shot lead over South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai, while Gaby Lopez from Mexico, Morgane Metraux of Switzerland, Colombia’s Mariajo Uribe, and Lilia Vu from the USA collectively stand at two under. Sitting in par, the world’s number one, Nelly Korda.