Here are the latest movers and shakers in the race to Rio…
A ‘Perfect Day’ for Jason
Jason Day climbed to the head of the Olympic Rankings on the strength of another towering week of world-class golf. The Australian supplanted long-time leader Jordan Spieth as World Number One after defeating Louis Oosthuizen in the final of the WGC-Dell Match Play in Austin, Texas.
“It’s not so much the Number One ranking that really gets me exblockquoted, it’s more the journey and the process that it’s taken. To get to the top of your sport takes a long time, and so for me it’s that delayed gratification. To be Number One in the world is fantastic.”
Jason Day
Day was not the only beneficiary in the quest for Olympic qualification as Oosthuizen moved into the top ten, demoting England’s Danny Willett to 11th place and his fellow South African Branden Grace to 12th. Korea’s Byeong-Hun An climbed from 15th to 16th.
However, the man who made most ground was dashing Spaniard Rafa Cabrera-Bello, whose victory over Rory McIlroy in Austin earned him third place in the WGC-Dell Match Play and a jump of nine places on the ‘Road to Rio’, from 27th to 18th.
A Mexican wave from Rodolfo
Rodolfo Cazaubon, the 26 year old from Mexico, is a new entry on the Olympic Rankings after finishing in a tie for third place alongside English Ryder Cup player, Ian Poulter, in the Puerto Rico Open at Coco Beach Golf and Country Club.
Cazaubon, who competes predominantly on the Web.com Tour, came up just one shot short of joining the play-off, which saw Tony Finau beat his fellow American Steve Marino on the second extra hole.
The reward for Cazaubon was to bring his Olympic dream closer to reality by joining the elite list for Rio de Janeiro in 54th place, with Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh dropping out of the top 60.
Ko strikes again in California
Lydia Ko provided another example of how she can light up Rio by winning the 11th LPGA Tour title of her fledgling career at Carlsbad, in California.
The teenager from New Zealand displayed the full range of her skills ahead of the first Major Championship of the year by winning the Kia Classic.
Ko’s opening score of 68 turned out to be her worst round of the week, as she strung together three successive 67s to beat Korea’s Inbee Park by four strokes.
It’s a case of ‘as you were’ at the top of the Olympic Rankings, with Ko occupying the Number One position and Park tucked in behind in second place.
“I think there’s always something I can get better at. My trainer says: ‘Better every day’. We are just trying to get a little better every single day. That’s my goal, and the quote that motivates me.”
Lydia Ko
Korea currently have four eligible players within the top 15 in the Olympic Rankings, with the United States on three.
