This story was originally published by Dead Spin
When it comes to the field for the Olympic Women’s Golf Competition, it seems there’s Nelly Korda, a massive gap, then everybody else.
That’s how the betting public is treating the event so far. DraftKings reported Monday that Korda, the +400 favorite to win the gold medal after prevailing in Tokyo in 2021, has received 75 percent of the handle and 85 percent of the total bets on the 72-hole tournament.
Korda, Lilia Vu and Rose Zhang will represent the United States at Le Golf National as Team USA tries to sweep the golf events after Scottie Scheffler stormed back to win gold in the men’s event Sunday.
The only other nation to match the Americans’ three players in the field is South Korea, a country with a rich women’s golf history. Jin Young Ko, Amy Yang and Hyo-Joo Kim will be trying to follow in the footsteps of Inbee Park, who won the gold medal for South Korea in Rio in 2016.
OLYMPIC WOMEN’S GOLF COMPETITION
Location: Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France, Aug. 7-10
Course: Le Golf National (Par 72, 6,374 yards)
Defending Champion: Nelly Korda
Format: 72-hole individual stroke play event. A hole-by-hole playoff will be used to determine medals in the event of a tie.
Field: The 60 players earned their spots based on the official International Golf Federation world ranking list. Each of the top 15 players in the Rolex Rankings were eligible, with countries limited to a maximum of four participants. The remainder of the field was determined directly from the IGF ranking list, with a max of two per country.
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV/streaming: Thursday-Saturday: 3 a.m.-12 p.m. ET (Golf Channel, Peacock); Sunday: 3 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (GC, Peacock)
X: @OlympicGolf
BEST BETS
Nelly Korda (+400 at DraftKings): Korda got off to an even hotter start to 2024 than Scheffler did in the men’s game. She won five straight tournaments and six of seven — then shockingly missed three straight cuts. She has not contended at a major since April.
Lilia Vu (+900): After winning two majors and four total tourneys in 2023, Vu returned to the winner’s circle via playoff in June. She’s been one of the most consistent players on the LPGA Tour, her scoring average of 70.175 ranking third, behind Japan’s Ayaka Furue and Korda. She is third on DraftKings’ list in share of the handle (3 percent) and total bets (2 percent) to win gold.
Atthaya Thitikul (+1000): The non-American with the shortest odds of victory, Thailand’s Thitikul just won the Dow Championship in June on the strength of a final-round 62. Her odds have lengthened from +850 and she has captured just 1 percent of the money and the bets so far at DraftKings.
Rose Zhang (+1400): The 21-year-old rising star returned to the winner’s circle last May and is seeking the biggest victory of her young career. She comes in off a T6 at the CPKC Women’s Open. Her odds have shortened from +1600 as she was the second-biggest attraction at DraftKings, garnering 7 percent of the handle and 2 percent of the tickets.
Lydia Ko (+3000): The only golfer, man or woman, to reach the medal stand in both 2016 and 2021, New Zealand’s Ko hopes to add a gold medal to her collection of one silver and one bronze. She started the 2024 season off with a win but has been rather quiet since.
–Field Level Media
