U.S. WOMEN RALLY AFTER SLOW START
Once Gerina Piller settled her emotions and nerves Wednesday, her scorecard started to take on a much better look. The same for Lexi Thompson. The two Americans turned in red numbers on a bright day at Olympic Golf Course. Piller was at 2-over par after four holes but rebounded around the turn to shoot 2-under-par 69 in the first round as women’s golf returned to the Olympics. Thompson, who missed a 3-footer for birdie on the first hole, fired a 68. Stacy Lewis, the third member of the U.S. team, got on track late and shot 70.
Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand leads at 65. World No. 1 Lydia Ko of New Zealand shot 69.
Piller, who started to cry Tuesday during a news conference when asked what a gold medal would mean to her, was emotional on the first tee.
“Anytime I talk about representing my country, and just like what it would mean to hold the medal for our country and hear our national anthem, it just gets me every time,” Piller said. “I think it was more just like an anxiousness to get started. You’re just kind of pumped up. Any time when they announce you, you’re from the United States of America, it’s a pretty cool feeling. There are some nerves.
“If it was up to me, I would just tee it up and not play a practice round.”
Although Thompson has been gearing up for the Olympics for some time, standing on the tee during introductions got to her.
“The nerves were there, that’s for sure,” Thompson said. “But it is a whole different feeling, just stepping on that tee, saying that you’re an Olympian golfer. There’s nothing like that. But it was an adrenaline rush.”
Thompson and Piller, two of the longest hitters in women’s golf, said they can be aggressive on the Gil Hanse layout. But only at certain times. For instance, Thompson hit a 4-iron to the drivable par-4 16th green instead of tangling with potential trouble up by the hole. But she can take advantage of the longer par-4s with wider fairways.
“Hit it well. Had a few little sketchy holes that I didn’t hit too well and I scrambled, so that’s what golf is all about,” she said. “You just have to pick your spots out there.” Piller agreed. “The course allows you to be aggressive when you want to be aggressive, and if you want to play a little more conservative, you can do that, as well,” she said. “There’s a few par-5s that I’m able to reach in two. That’s huge for me. You know, with the right wind and the right pin placement, I think some of these par 4s will be gettable.
“I think it’s anyone’s game. I think that golf is kind of one of those things where you get hot and you keep rolling with it. When you’re in track or you’re swimming and you’re trying to beat a specific time, you know if you’re swimming at that time or not.
“Teeing it up today, I don’t know what’s going to be the lead at the end of the day. So you’ve just got to go out there and do the best you can, and, you know, just look up the leaderboard when you’re done and hopefully you’re at the top.”