The Korea Herald

지나쌤

Disappointed golfer learns from mistakes in Rio

By KH디지털2

Published : Aug. 21, 2016 - 10:25

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After closing out her first Olympic golf tournament on a disappointing note in Rio de Janeiro, South Korean Kim Sei-young said Saturday she has learned from her mistakes.

(Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald) (Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald)
Namely, she perhaps wanted to win here so much that it actually proved detrimental to her game.

"I think I became too obsessed with results while I was preparing for the Olympics," Kim said after shooting an even-par 71 at Olympic Golf Course, for the four-day total of one-under 283.

She ended in a four-way tie for 25th, with fellow South Korean Park In-bee taking the gold at 16-under.

"I did everything I possibly could, but I realized that alone doesn't take care of everything," Kim said. "From now on, I am going to relax a little more."

Kim, 23, said she first decided she wanted to compete at an Olympics in 2004, while watching the national judo team in action in Athens. Golf wasn't an Olympic sport at the time, but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) put it on the Summer Games program in a vote in 2009.

"I thought, 'This will be the path I will take, the Olympic Games,'" the world No. 6 said. "But because I've been wanting to play in it for a long time, I think I put too much pressure on myself."

Asked why she was so intent on competing at an Olympics, Kim said, "I can make money any time I want, but the opportunity to play at an Olympics is limited."

"I think having the goal of making the Olympic has made me a better player," said Kim, the 2015 LPGA Rookie of the Year. "And I think the mistakes I made here will help me play better at the next Olympics."

Saying she is already looking forward to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Kim quipped, "I'm going to play until I'm 100 years old."

She said her more immediate goal is to reach the top of the world rankings. Lydia Ko, who won silver medal here, five shots behind Park, is the No. 1 by a wide margin -- she has 14.96 points,

6.8 points better than Ariya Jutanugarn.

"Lydia Ko is so dominant, and I've got to think of ways to play well enough to get to No. 1," Kim said. "But I am going to take on the challenge." (Yonhap)