That didn’t provide much breathing room in round four, which saw Korda struggle to stay on top. At least a dozen golfers were well within striking distance of gold, spurring the other leaders to play more aggressively. Korda took the opposite approach: Showing nerves, she hesitated often and opted for a more conservative strategy. This proved disastrous during the seventh hole, in which the American double-bogeyed and erased her two-under lead completely. In doing so, she briefly tied New Zealand’s Lydia Ko — the Rio silver medalist — and India’s Aditi Ashok for first.
Korda bounced back immediately, with birdies on the eighth, ninth, and tenth holes — and then held tight to first place.
Ko, in particular, played amazing golf in the final round; she was five-under through nine holes. By the 15th hole, she was tied for second — locked in a dead-heat with Japan’s Mone Inami.
Just as Inami and Korda were finishing the 17th hole, the horn blew — and a predicted thunderstorm made an appearance. Thick rain drops splattered the camera and golfers exited the course for a 30-minute delay.
