Women's Golf Olympic Updates: Lau Finishes Olympics in Grand Fashion
8/7/2024 10:33:00 AM | Women's Golf, Olympics
• Paris Olympics Site | U-M Olympics Coverage
Saturday, Aug. 10
With a thrilling eagle on her final hole, Ashley Lau finished her first trip to the Olympic Games carding a 78 to post a 306 72-hole total to tie for 55th at Le Golf National. Playing for her native country of Malaysia, Lau was the first Michigan golfer, man or woman, to compete in the Olympics.
In today's final round, Lau was paired with Italy's Alessandra Fanali, who she played with during the first two days, and Czechoslovakia's Sara Kouskova.
On her first hole, Lau found water on her approach but erased it on her second hole draining an 11-foot putt for birdie on the par-3, 145-yard hole. After rattling off four pars, she recorded a second front-side birdie on the seventh (par 4, 423 yards) as she dropped in another long putt (13 feet). However, Lau's tee shot on the ninth hole found water to post a bogey, turning even.
Missing a pair of par putts on Nos. 11 and 12, Lau sat two-over with six holes remaining. She found trouble on the 13th, finding water three times -- off the tee and twice on her drops -- and headed to the 14th at seven-over. Lau rebounded, etching three pars and a dramatic eagle to finish the day with a 78.
Striping a 260-yard drive on the 18th, she landed her approach shot 13 feet from the pin. As she had done all week, she drained the putt for her first eagle of the Olympics.
Friday, Aug. 9
Returning to Le Golf National in the morning wave for her third Olympic round, Ashley Lau carded a 79 and is tied for 52nd with one round to play.
Paired with Madelene Stavnar (Norway) and Klara Davidson Spilkova (Czechoslovakia), Lau found trouble early hitting into the water on the par-3 second (154 yards). After her penalty and missed putt, she triple bogeyed. After a bogey on the fourth (par 4, 419 yards), just missing her par putt, she caught fire with birdies on three of her final four holes on the front side.
With 102 yards into the par-4 sixth hole, she nearly sank it for eagle landing five inches from the cup. Despite a follow-up bogey as she did not covert her eight-putt, she closed with back-to-back birdies on holes eight and nine. After her tee shot landed on the right side of the par-3 eighth, she brought the crowd to its feet draining a 30-foot putt.
With the momentum heading to the ninth hole, she dropped her 81-yard approach shot five feet away. Dropping in another putt, she made the turn two over. On the back side, Lau found herself with another five-foot putt for par but saw it stop short as she bogeyed.
After a run of five straight pars, Lau found the water off the tee on par-3 16th, posting a double bogey which put her five over with two to play. A missed par putt and water hazard on the final two holes gave her a third-round 79 and a 228 total heading into Saturday's (Aug. 10) final round.
Thursday, Aug. 8
Second Round (Stroke Play)
Returning to Le Golf National in the afternoon wave, Ashley Lau carded a second-round 77 (+5) and is among the top 40 after the second day of play.
Lau posted a pair of bogeys on two of her first four holes. Landing her approach 30 feet to the right on the second (par 3, 131 yards), her long birdie attempt fell short nine feet away. After strong putting a day earlier, her par attempt rolled but stopped just three inches from the cup as she tapped in for a bogey. Strong off the tee, Lau found the left greenside bunker on her approach on the fourth (par 4, 433 yards), and could not convert the sand save, recording a second early bogey.
Lau struck back on the fifth (par 4, 379 yards), positioning her drive in a great spot to give her a straight look (155 yards) at the hole. Landing five feet from the pin, she rolled in her first birdie to get a stroke back. Using that momentum, she finished the front side rattling off four straight pars to make the turn at one over par.
On the back side, Lau watched her par putt on the 11th (par 3, 138 yards) stop two feet past the hole and tapped in for a third bogey. That blemish was quickly erased with a birdie on the 12th (par 4, 420 yards). Following another strong drive, she had another straight shot to the stick and landed her approach six feet away. Draining the putt, she got back to one-over with a birdie.
Finding the thick rough on her approach at the 14th (par 5, 501 yards), Lau flew it over the green and had to punch it out. She missed her par save as her eight-foot attempt stopped less than a foot away from the cup. After missing her par putt on the 17th (par 4, 397 yards) and finding water on the 18th, she posted a 77 (+5) and is among the top 40 heading into the third round.
Wednesday, Aug. 7
First Round (Stroke Play)
With the aid of four birdies and tremendous putting, Ashley Lau carded a first-round 72 (E) at Le Golf National and is among the top of the leaderboard after the first day of play. Lau is the first Michigan golfer to compete in the Olympics.
In her Olympic debut for her native country of Malaysia, Lau etched a pair of opening pars before back-to-back bogeys on Nos 3 and 4 pushed her to two-over. She could not convert the sand save from the green side bunker on the third hole and barely missed a long, eight-foot par putt on the fourth.
She got a stroke back with her first of four birdies on the par 4, 366-yard fifth hole. On the green in two, Lau converted a long putt draining it from 11 feet for birdie. With the momentum, she posted four straight pars to make the turn one-over.
Turning to the back nine, Lau thrilled on the 10th (par 4, 347-yards). Reaching left, however, safely on the green in two, she brought the crowd to its feet making the nearly 42-foot-long putt for birdie and drawing even for the round.
Missing her approach on No. 13, Lau was forced to chip out of the rough leaving her with another long putt on the par 4, 354-yard hole. Starring down the 50-foot putt, she just missed, rolling by the hole as she tapped in from two feet for a bogey. Lau quickly struck back with a birdie on the 14th. Landing in the greenside bunker, she punched out and nailed a nearly 16-foot putt to draw back to even with four holes to play.
Heading to the 15th, Lau's drive gave her a strong path to the green over the water. Unfortunately, she flew the green and missed her par putt to return to one-over par. Saving the best for last, Lau birdied the par 5, 449-yard 18th hole to close even at 72 in her debut.
Bombing her drive, she was on the green in two. After rolling her 65-foot eagle putt to four feet, she sank it to post her fourth birdie of the day.
Paired with Italy's Alessandra Fanali, who opened with a 75, and Finland's Ursula Wikstrom, who recorded an 82, the trio will play together in the second round on Thursday (Aug. 8) at 6:28 a.m. EDT.
