Olympic Women’s Golf Day 2: Will Heavy Rain Spoil Celine Boutier’s Dreams of Home Soil Win?

“I’m really over the moon with the way the tournament started for me,” said Celine Boutier as she finished the opening round at Le Golf National with a lead. With a course so difficult that only two players out of the 60-player field managed to get a score below 70, she is currently three strokes ahead of South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai (the only other player who went below 70), with a 7-under 65.

Although this season has been slow for her, winning on the French greens (her home soil) is a dream she soon wishes to accomplish. But well, we all know the uncanny relationship between rain and golf matches. Will that render her dream impossible? While there were predictions of rainfall during the day at the opening round, it still went on without any interruptions, luckily enough. It looks like there is not much to worry about for the Thursday round!

Clear skies on Thursday for the Le Golf National

While there were predictions of rainfall during the day at the opening round, it still went on without any interruptions, luckily enough. It looks like there is nothing to worry about on Thursday. With a temperature as high as 28 degrees and as low as 18 degrees, the weather seems to be pleasant with a 0% chance of precipitation.

Additionally, the northerly winds will be blowing at 13 kmph, which seems to be a decent speed to avoid diversions while hitting the bombs. However, if there is anything that is of little concern, it is the fact that there is a 37% chance of a cloud. This might, in all probability, cast darkness on the field, making it just a tad bit difficult for the golfers to putt.

With the sun predicted to rise at 6:34 a.m. and set at 9:18 p.m., there is a chance that the issue might not appear at all. Nonetheless, it might be a little sticky around, with a humidity level of 49%. Apart from that, the Thursday round should go uninterrupted, just like the Wednesday round!

Despite the clear indications from the weather gods, Le Golf National has turned out to be a rather huge foe for the female golfers in the field. It looks like even the No. 1 golfer is struggling to make an under-par.

Will Nelly Korda be able to defend her title?

Nelly Korda defeated Japan’s Mone Inami by one stroke in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021). However, this year, the reigning champion seems to be off to a rough start. She opened the round with three bogeys on her first seven holes. But then she gathered up speed, ending the last ten holes with three birdies.

Despite her efforts to make a decent score in the back nine, Korda ended up with an even par. Nelly Korda, who broke records by winning six titles in the same season, has not been having the best time in the last few weeks. She entered the Paris Olympics with three missed cuts consecutively and a 26th-place finish at the Evian Championship. “Hoping I can bring that momentum into the next three days,” says an optimistic Korda.

Will Nelly Korda be able to get back in her game soon and defend her title? Stay tuned to find out!