Published : Aug. 12, 2016 - 09:43
South Korean Olympic women's golf coach Pak Se-ri said Thursday the key to her team's performance is to keep the pressure off the four players.
Pak, a World Golf Hall of Famer and a five-time LPGA champion, arrived in Rio de Janeiro earlier in the day with the women's competition set to start next Wednesday.
She told reporters at Galeao International Airport her previously stated goal hasn't changed -- a podium sweep.
(Yonhap)
"The objective is obviously to win gold, silver and bronze, but I think making sure the players won't feel too much pressure should come first," Pak said. "Golf is back in the Olympics after a long time away, and fans back home love women's golf. We all want to do the best we can."
Golf will be contested for the first time in 112 years, and South Korea will field four of the world's top-10 female players: No. 5 Park In-bee, No. 6 Kim Sei-young, No. 8 Chun In-gee and No. 9 Amy Yang.
Park boasts the most impressive resume, with 17 LPGA wins including seven majors, and a place in the LPGA Hall of Fame. But she's in the midst of an injury-plagued season that saw her fall three spots in the world rankings since the start of the season.
Kim, the reigning LPGA Rookie of the Year, leads the back with two victories in 2016.
Pak said she feels "a huge weight of responsibility" as a coach, and she wants to offer whatever support her players will need.
Pak said she was supposed to have visited Rio's Olympic Golf Course around April or May, but the trip was canceled because the venue wasn't quite ready. The men's competition got underway Thursday, and Pak said she was planning to see the course for the first time in person during the men's first round.
"The key will be to control shots in the windy conditions," Pak added. "Away from the course, security and living conditions will also be important."
Kim, who also landed in Rio Thursday, echoed the coach's sentiment -- that handling the Olympic pressure will be crucial.
"I definitely came here to win the gold medal," said Kim, the first of the four players to arrive here. "I am hitting the ball really well. I just have to overcome the pressure of competing in the Olympics. I've been waiting for this a long time, and I'll try to show people everything I have."
Kim said she had only seen the course on video, and although she heard about more than 70 greenside bunkers, she didn't think the course would prove that difficult.
The par-71 course plays 7,128 yards for men and 6,500 yards for women.
Lydia Ko of New Zealand and Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, the top two ranked players who have each won four times in 2016 with one major each, are also expected to contend for medals. (Yonhap)