Inbee Park Wins Olympic Golf Gold Medal

South Korea’s Inbee Park shot a sublime 66 to win the Women’s Olympic Golf tournament by five strokes from world number one Lydia Ko.

The 7-time major winner ended at -16 after seven birdies and two bogies. Four of those came on the front nine as she went out in 31 (-4) and raced clear of the pack who never truly threatened her lead.

Inbee had great support. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

The 28-year-old, who qualified for the LPGA Hall of Fame earlier this year, hadn’t played a competitive tournament for two months due to a thumb injury.

World number one Lydia Ko took the silver medal with a gutsy birdie on the last to beat China’s Shanshan Feng by a stroke.

Ko birdied three of the last five holes to catch Feng who was alone in second place and looking good for silver mid-way through the back nine.

Feng played her last seven holes in +1 and failed to birdie the reachable par-5 18th so took bronze at -10 for the tournament.

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It wasn’t quite the ending England’s Charley Hull would have hoped for but she can be proud after another excellent performance on the world stage. The 20-year-old ended with a 68 (-3) to get to -8, which left her in T7th and two short of Feng.

Hull showed incredible ball striking all week, but couldn’t quite hole enough putts on the final two days to score what her tee-to-green game deserved.

Charley Hull tees off the first in the final round. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

Related: A history of Olympic Golf

Hull’s Team GB Teammate Catriona Matthew ended at level par for 29th place after a 70 (-1).

Russia’s Maria Verchenova shot the lowest round of the entire Olympics, including the men’s tournament, with a 62 (-9) that included a hole-in-one at the fourth, nine birdies and two bogeys.