On Saturday, he could wear Olympic golf gold – and finish his career
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Mariajo Uribe hits the tee shot on Wednesday at Le Golf National.
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Indeed, Mariajo Uribe is rethinking.
His start on Wednesday must have convinced him. He birdied 1. And 2. And 4 at Le Golf National. He was rolling. But if that if he hadn’t done the trick, it would have been his fate. On the demanding par-5 18th, he again birdied. And when things wrapped up after the first day at the Olympics, Uribe was tied for third, five shots off the lead.
He couldn’t follow through now on what he promised, could he?
No, it still is.
Come Saturday, whether it’s a gold, silver or bronze medal hanging around his neck, Uribe is giving up.
“I mean, one of my idols is Lorena Ochoa,” Uribe said, “and she came out as No. 1 in the world, and I always thought that was great, like finishing on a high note.
“This year has been very important to me, and to finish with a good week here would make it the best week to retire.”
Unexpectedly, it almost matched Uribe’s multi-year victory.
The 34-year-old Colombian was ready to hang up his golf shoes after the 2020 Games in Tokyo. It was time, he felt. In 2007, Uribe won the US Women’s Am. In college, at UCLA, he was a first-team All-American. In July 2009, Uribe became a champion, and won more than $2 million on the LPGA Tour, with 14 career finishes to his name. But then the 2020 Olympics were postponed for a year due to Covid. And in the months before those rescheduled Games, she had a baby boy.
So he played, with a keen eye this year.
“We decided as a family to try again in Paris,” said Uribe. “So four years is a very long time.
“So I’m ready, but I’m excited for next week.”
Of course, Uribe still needed to qualify for the Games, and, as you can imagine, the story gets better. In March, in search of the necessary points, she entered the Women’s NSW Open in Australia – where she birdied her final hole to win a Ladies European Tour event by a stroke.
Prior to that, he had won once professionally, at the 2011 HSBC Brazil Cup, an unofficial LPGA event.
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“I felt a lot of internal pressure because it takes courage to come here,” said Uribe on the Ladies European Tour website after the victory. “I’m not a member, so I write emails and try to get invitations. You may come here, and you may not be cut.
“Even last year, I played in the LET and LET Access Series to get opportunities to play. We’ll see, but I’m sure this will catch up and I’ll be in Paris for now. My husband is happy because I don’t have to make a crazy schedule anymore. It’s nice to get a win after so many years, it’s the icing on the cake.”
There may be more.
Wednesday was special. Early birds. Late, which helped him bogey the 17th. He also led the field in driving distance, at 283 yards, though not at the expense of accuracy – he hit 11 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens. The round followed a tie of 50 at the 2021 Games, and a tie of 19 at the 2016 Games in Rio, where golf was part of the Olympic program for the first time since 1904.
“I had a good round, some mistakes were not very good and I shouldn’t have made them,” said Uribe. “But I’m in the middle. I know I can shoot from the ground. You have to hit it well here, and my driver is really good now.
“So stay in the fight. Of course a medal would be nice, but enjoy this week and see what happens.”
But no, he says he’s reevaluating.
After Paris, he says he will Go well.
“This is my third Olympics, but Paris feels different,” said Uribe. “The atmosphere is unbelievable. Watching the boys finish on Sunday was great. The crowds are amazing. I’m not part of the Solheim Cup, but this is probably the closest I’ll get. The course is unbelievable.
“I’m very happy with the decision I made, and it’s been an amazing week so far.”
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