2024 Olympic women’s golf Round 3 recap: Morgane Metraux, Lydia Ko share lead

T1. Morgane Metraux (SUI): -9 (71)
T1. Lydia Ko (NZL): -9 (68)
T3. Rose Zhang (USA): -7 (67)
T3. Miyu Yamashita (JPN): -7 (68)
5. Atthaya Thitikul (THA): -6 (69)
6. Mariajo Uribe (COL): -5 (71)
T7. Nelly Korda (USA): -4 (70)
T7. Xiyu Lin (CHN): -4 (71)
T7. Celine Boutier (FRA): -4 (71)
T7. Ruoning Yin (CHN): -4 (75)

Lydia Ko was unable to birdie the par-5 18th and take the solo lead into the final round, but her Friday 68 to has her tied with Morgane Metraux for the top spot.

With only one birdie on the back nine and having gone from overnight leader to two off the pace, Metraux stood over her second shot on the par-5 18th. Wind up, 199 yards out, she took her time (as she does).

Metraux then hit her best shot of the day, a hybrid to 19 feet, which she made for an eagle-3. The 27-year-old Swiss player went from the black to the red on the day, shooting 1-under 71.

She also reclaimed a share of the lead at 9 under par.

Mariajo Uribe’s birdie putt at the 18th takes a hard lip out and she has to settle for par. Still, the Colombian’s 1-under 71 has her at 5 under for the tournament and two shots removed from the podium position.

The Frenchwoman tripled the 13th and bogeyed the 15th, but finished birdie-birdie-birdie, to the roars of the home crowd.

Boutier, who won the Amundi Evian Championship in France, is at 4 under par and currently thee shots from the podium.

Rose Zhang nearly holed out from 190 yards for an albatross at the par-5 18th. The eagle got her to 7 under, completing a 5-under 67 on Friday.

Zhang entered the clubhouse one off the lead, held by Lydia Ko who was still on the course.

Korda finished bogey-par to shoot 2-under 70. She had plenty of positive moments but her start and finish kept her from going lower. She’s currently in seventh place, four off the lead and two back of the podium position.

AFP via Getty Images

The leaderboard is in a constant state of flux. Ko and Morgane Metraux birdie the 14th while Mariajo Uribe misses a 3-footer for par at the 15th. Here’s where we stand:

1. Lydia Ko (NZL): -8 (14)
2. Morgane Metraux (SUI): -7 (14)
T3. Mariajo Uribe (COL): -6 (15)
T3. Atthaya Thitikul (THA): -6 (16)
T3. Miyu Yamashita (JPN): -6 (16)

For the second straight day, Korda had a three-putt bogey at the 17th. This time, she pushed her par effort from 2 feet, 7 inches and fell back to 4 under, tied for eighth.

Morgane Metraux made her third back-nine bogey at the 13th while Rose Zhang doubled the 15th. It’s now Lydia Ko and Mariajo Uribe tied for the lead at 7 under.

Coming of an eagle at the par-5 14th, Zhang one-hand finishes her approach shot into the water at the par-4 15th. She makes double to give those two shots back, and falls to 5 under, two back.

Korda made her fifth birdie of the day — her second in a row — at the 15th to reach 5 under. She’s two back of the four-way tie at the top.

Morgane Metraux and Lydia Ko bogey the 12th. Rose Zhang eagles the 14th. And in a matter of seconds, we have a four-way tie at the top.

T1. Rose Zhang (USA): -7 (14)
T1. Mariajo Uribe (COL): -7 (13)
T1. Morgane Metraux (SUI): -7 (12)
T1. Lydia Ko (NZL): -7 (12)

After opening in 77, the Aussie has shot 70-66. She concluded her third round with an eagle hole-out at the par-4 17th and a birdie at the par-5 18th. She’s at 3 under and currently four off the podium.

After 10 pars to start her round, France’s Boutier has back-to-back birdies at Nos. 11 and 12. She’s tied for fourth, two back of third place and three off the lead.

For the first time in the third round, we have co-leaders. Morgane Metraux bogeyed the 10th while Lydia Ko made birdie. They are knotted at 8 under par.

Uribe enthusiastically walks in a 19-footer from the fringe for birdie at the 11th and she’s now at 7 under par and one off the lead.

On-course reporter Karen Stupples says the final group of Morgane Metraux, Lydia Ko and Ruoning Yin were taken off the clock after the eighth hole.

And here’s where we stand after Metraux and Ko birdied the ninth:

1. Morgane Metraux (SUI): -9 (9)
2. Lydia Ko (NZL): -7 (9)
3. Mariajo Uribe (COL): -6 (10)
T4. Rose Zhang (USA): -5 (11)
T4. Atthaya Thitikul (THA): -5 (11)
T4. Miyu Yamashita (JPN): -5 (10)
T4. Ruoning Yin (CHN): -5 (9)

The Colombian, competing in her final event, carded a well-earned par at ninth to turn in 2-under 34. She’s 6 under for the tournament, tied for second place and two back of leader Morgane Metraux.

Uribe hit her tee shot into the thick rough at the par-5 ninth and only advanced it 82 feet with her second. She hit a hybrid from there and then got up and down from 51 yards.

AFP via Getty Images

Korda made her third birdie in her last four holes to make the turn in 1-under 35. At 3 under for the tournament, she is three off the podium and five off the lead.

The American made her third birdie of the round at the eighth hole to reach 5 under par. She’s now tied for fourth and three off the lead.

A day after enduring a constant official presence while being on the clock, Morgane Metraux’s group is being timed again.

NBC Sports on-course reporter Karen Stupples said on the fifth hole that Metraux, Ruoning Yin and Lydia Ko were on the clock in Round 3.

Metraux struggled on Thursday with an official monitoring her pace. She made bogey Friday at the fifth after catching the lip on her fairway bunker shot. That dropped her to 8 under, two clear Yin and Ko.

After dropping two shots early and getting one back with a birdie at the sixth, Korda appeared in trouble off the tee at the par-4 seventh. Her ball was safe; though, she did hack out from rough to more rough.

No worries. She just holed out from 82 yards for a second straight birdie. That got her back to 2 under for the tournament, seven off the lead and four off the podium.

With a birdie putt at the par-5 third, the New Zealander reaches 6 under par. She’s tied with Ruoning Yin (CHN) for second place, three back of leader Morgane Metraux (SUI).

The Swiss player hit her approach shot at the par-4 first to 10 feet and made the birdie. She’s at 9 under, two clear of second place, Ruoning Yin (CHN).

After hitting her tee shot into the fairway on the par-5 third, Korda had trouble around the green and made bogey. She’s 2 over on the round and even par for the tournament, five off podium position.

And not much red to greet them. The lowest round going is from Dottie Ardina (PHI), who is 3 under through eight.

From prime position at the first, Korda pulled her approach shot into the water left of the green. She hit a solid wedge from the drop zone, though, to a few feet and saved bogey. Korda dropped to 1 under, seven off the lead and four off third place.

The Olympic legend and the Swiss LPGA player both attended Stanford University. Ledecky was on site Friday at Le Golf National to watch her friend.

Korda is in the fairway at the first and the chase is underway. Coming off a quadruple bogey-bogey-birdie finish to the second round, Korda is six shots off the lead and three shots removed from third place.

1. Morgane Metraux (SUI): -8 (66)
2. Ruoning Yin (CHN): -7 (65)
3. Lydia Ko (NZL): -5 (67)
T4. Mariajo Uribe (COL): -4 (70)
T-4. Pia Babnik (SLO): -4 (66)
T-6. Bianca Pagdanganan (PHI): -3 (69)
T-6. Atthaya Thitikul (THA): -3 (69)
T-6. Celine Boutier (FRA): -3 (76)
T-6. Miyu Yamashita (JPN): -3 (70)
T-6. Ashleigh Buhai (RSA): -3 (73)
T-6. Xiyu Lin (CHN): -3 (70)

Here’s a look: Full tee times, groupings

As for the weather, it will be cloudy to mostly cloudy throughout the day with a high of 82 degrees and no more than a 5% chance of rain.

The wind, however, will be up, steadily blowing 10-15 mph with gusts over 20 mph.