Morgane Metraux of Switzerland surged to the top of the leaderboard in the Olympic women’s golf tournament on Thursday, thanks to an outstanding performance in the second round. Meanwhile, France’s Celine Boutier, who led after the first round, encountered challenges on a tough course.
Metraux, 27, impressed with two eagles and four birdies in a flawless front nine, pushing her tournament score to 10 under par. Despite facing three bogeys on the back nine, she managed to finish at 8 under par. This week marked Metraux’s first time playing at Le Golf National, located south of Paris, where she credited her straightforward approach and favorable weather conditions for her strong showing.
“I only familiarized myself with the course on Monday, so everything is still very fresh for me,” Metraux explained. “It’s a simple course in that you need to hit fairways and greens consistently, or it becomes very challenging.”
Metraux is making her Olympic debut, having chosen not to compete in Tokyo while focusing on securing a spot on the LPGA Tour. Her sister Kim represented Switzerland three years ago, along with Albane Valenzuela, who is back for her third Olympic appearance.
China’s Yin Ruoning moved into second place, matching Boutier’s first-round score of 65 to sit at seven under par, followed by New Zealand’s Lydia Ko in third place at five under.
Boutier, who had a three-stroke lead at 7 under par due to her excellent putting on Thursday, maintained a steady pace to reach eight under through 12 holes in the second round. However, she faltered with two double-bogeys and a bogey between the 13th and 15th holes, dropping back to 3 under and ending the day tied for sixth place.
Tokyo gold medalist and world No. 1 Nelly Korda also faced difficulties on the back nine, posting a quadruple bogey on the 16th after struggling with a water hazard and bunker. Despite this setback, Korda managed to birdie the 18th, finishing the day at 2 under and tied for 12th place alongside Rose Zhang of the United States.
The format for the women’s tournament mirrors that of the men’s, which American Scottie Scheffler won last Sunday, with 60 players competing in a 72-hole, stroke-play event over four days.