Top female golfers tee up for the Olympics

PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — When you spend most of your career looking out for yourself, the chance to play for something bigger is welcome. Leona Maguire is part of Team Ireland and will be heading to Paris for her third Olympics. “Seeing the rings on the Eiffel Tower, it seems like it’s going to be a really big production this time,” she said.

The tournament will be played at Le Golf National. It’s the same course that held the Ryder Cup in 2018. Maguire says that will add to the excitement. “Tokyo was a very different Olympics, with COVID. So I’m sure there will be crowds and a lot of European support,” she said.

The golfer who figures to get the most support is France’s Celine Boutier. “I think it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be able to do the Olympics. I think that to do it in my own country will definitely be amazing to be able to share that with everybody at home,” she said.

Boutier takes so much pride in playing for France. Just the thought of winning a medal gives her chills. “It would be a dream come true for sure. It would be incredible to be able to share that with the rest of the country, the rest of the French athletes. It would also be a defining moment in a career,” Boutier said.

Nelly Korda is the reigning gold medalist and is currently ranked number one in the world. She’ll be in Paris to defend her title. “Getting to represent my country is always a huge honor. Getting to do that in 2021 was such an amazing experience,” she said.

Lillia Vu and rising Rookie Rose Zhang will join Korda, giving the U.S. a stacked team that includes three of the top nine players in the world.

The women’s Olympic golf tournament will be held Aug. 7 through Aug. 10.