"It's medal or nothing"- Morgane Metraux has only one goal in mind after leading for 2 days at the Paris Olympics
Morgane Metraux leads the 2024 Paris Olympics Golf tournament. She is tied with New Zealand's Lydia Ko at 9 under after 54 holes, two shots ahead of American Rose Zhang and Japan's Miyu Yamashita.
The 27-year-old Metraux is in her sixth season as a professional. She said at the end of the third round that the key to her success is the mentality she plays with.
This is how Morgane Metraux spoke about it (via LPGA Tour News Service):
"I came in this week telling myself, it's medal or nothing. So just give it everything without attacking too much but within reason. I think I need to go into every event with that mentality because it seems to be working well."
Metraux also said she felt very good about the support she was getting from the crowd:
"It's fun to play in front of so many people and have so much support and play so close to home. It's really a lot of fun."
Morgane Metraux has three professional victories to her name, two on the Ladies European Tour and one on the Epson Tour. She joined the LPGA Tour in 2022 and is currently ranked 137th in the world.
Paris 2024 will be her Olympic debut, as she qualified for Tokyo but withdrew to attend LPGA Tour Q-School. Her sister Kim Metraux represented Switzerland at the time.
A look at Morgane Metraux's performance at the Paris Olympics 2024
Morgane Metraux began her participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with a first round score of 70. It was the result of two bogeys and four birdies, two of them in a row on the last holes.
The second round marked Metraux's assault on the top spot as she carded a 6-under 66, including a record for the front nine of the Albatross Course.
Metraux started the second round with a birdie on the 1st and a par on the 2nd. She then eagled the 3rd and birdied the 4th through 6th. She made her second eagle of the day on the 9th to finish the front nine at 8-under 28.
Her performance on the back nine was also solid, though not at the same level. Metraux parred the first three holes, followed by bogey-birdie-bogey from the 13th to the 15th. She then made two consecutive pars but closed with another bogey on the 18th.
In the third round, she managed to break par with a dose of spectacularity. Metraux reached the 18th hole at 1 over, the result of three birdies and four bogeys, but was still able to change history.
The Swiss hit her 250-yard tee shot down the fairway, then hit a near-perfect second shot that left the ball 19 feet from the hole. She then brilliantly executed the putt for eagle on the hole and finished 1-under for the round.