"She's made history" - Rose Zhang showers praise on mentor Lydia Ko for 'inspiring' Paris Olympics performance

Lydia Ko won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics after failing to do so in the previous two editions. In the 2016 Olympics, Ko landed with a silver medal behind Inbee Park. Then, in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she had to settle for a bronze medal behind Nelly Korda and Mone Inami. But, at the 2024 Olympics, Lydia Ko excelled with a 10-under 278 to seal first place.

Rose Zhang joined an interview after the final round of the Paris Olympics to share that Ko’s performance inspired her and that she played the role of a mentor to Zhang.

“It was super cool. I mean, she's made history, and it was really just inspiring to watch her throughout the round. For myself, I think there's just a lot more improvement, a lot more experience that I need to really just push forward and continue grinding. But overall, I'm just so happy for her,” Zhang said (via ASAP Sports).

She continued:

“Lydia has always been a kind of mentor to me. Even when we were back in the Bay Area, even when I just turned pro, she was always one to approach me first and make me feel comfortable on tour…So for her to just say a simple good shot, and she was talking about how she, you know, didn't -- she couldn't go for it the last three days. But at the end of the day, the result was fine.”

Rose Zhang finished at T8 in the 2024 Olympics with 5-under 283.

Exploring Lydia Ko and Rose Zhang’s performance at the Paris Olympics

Lydia Ko’s total stood at 10-under, and she played consistently throughout the event. She opened with four birdies in the first round. She also had two bogeys and one double bogey to finish at 72 on Wednesday. In the next round, she dropped four birdies on the front nine and two birdies on the back nine to settle at 67. She also had a bogey in this round.

In the third round, Ko bagged birdies on holes 3, 6, 9, 10, 14 and 17. In this round, she bogeyed one hole in the front nine and another in the back nine to finish at 68. In the last round, Lydia Ko dropped four birdies, out of which one was on the 18th hole. Her round also saw a bogey and a double bogey to finish at 71.

Rose Zhang scored three birdies and three bogeys in the first round to end up at 72. In the next round, she made three birdies and one bogey to finish at 70. In the third round, the golf phenom had three birdies on holes 3, 6 and 8. She dropped two eagles on holes 14 and 18 and double bogeyed the 15th. Her score was 67 after the round. In the last round, she had three birdies, three bogeys, and one double bogey to score 74, which was the highest score in her entire Olympic campaign.