After Olympic record 28 on the front nine, the leader in Paris was put on the clock for slow play
08/08/2024 15:00
Morgane Metraux got off to a red-hot start Thursday in Paris. The Swiss player, currently No. 137 in the world, shot an Olympic record 8-under 28 on the front nine to vault into the lead. Things cooled off on the back nine, however, as Metraux was put on the clock and received a bad time on the 13th hole.
While she never received a penalty stroke for slow play, a rules official kept close tabs on the group. Metraux downplayed the slow-play situation after the round.
“It’s in the back of your mind … of course it impacts a little bit,” she told Golf Channel. “I don’t think it impacted my game. It’s just, I wasn’t quite hitting the shots quite as good as I wanted all the time like I did on the front nine.”
Metraux, who is making her Olympics debut, finished with a 6-under 66 to take the clubhouse lead. Her front nine included a pair of eagles on Nos. 3 and 9, both par 5s, and four additional birdies. Metraux hit both par 5s in two and drained putts of 18 and 16 feet, respectively.
"So there was barely any wind this morning. Perfect conditions and the course is just perfect," said Metraux of her incredible start. "Like if you hit a good putt, you know it’s going to go in because the greens are rolling so well.”
Metraux's previous best nine holes on the LPGA was a front-nine 30 at the 2023 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.
Metraux's older sister Kim, who plays golf on the LET, represented Switzerland at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo after Morgane gave up her spot to concentrate on the Epson Tour.
"I was quite happy that she could take my spot. If anybody could take my spot, I was hoping it would be her and it worked out.
"She had a bit of a different experience because of the whole COVID thing. I don’t know if there was any spectators. I think there weren’t. So the atmosphere was very different. She couldn’t go to any other events. The Village, you can only stay where you were at the event. It was different but she had stars in her eyes when she came back. She was very happy to have the experience."
Morgane Metraux (SUI) plays a shot from a bunker on the 14th hole in the second round in women’s individual stroke play during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Le Golf National. Mandatory Credit: Katie Goodale-USA TODAY Sports
Metraux, a rookie on the LPGA in 2022, recorded her best finish on tour at the 2022 Pelican Championship where she tied for fourth. A two-time winner on the LET, Metraux's most recent victory came at the 2024 Jabra Ladies Open, which is played at the Evian Resort Golf Club, host of the Amundi Evian Championship.
The Metraux family lives in Lausanne, which is located on Lake Geneva, across from the Evian Resort.
