“Be a gold medalist, believe in yourself”

“When you compete in the Olympics under the flag, you’re not fighting alone, you’re fighting with 50 million people. When you make a mistake, you have to quickly accept it and plan the next move. If you persevere and persevere, you will surely achieve the desired results.”
These are the words of Choi Kyung-ju, the “living legend of Korean men’s golf,” to Ahn Byung-hoon and Kim Joo-hyung, who will represent Korea at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Choi, a member of the Daily Economic Daily’s Paris Olympics advisory board and head coach of the Korean men’s golf team at Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020, sent a message of support despite not being able to attend the Games.
The men’s golf competition at the Paris Olympics will begin on Monday (Aug. 1) at Le Golf Nacional Olympic Course in France. Korea will be represented by Ahn Byung-hoon and Kim Joo-hyung, and will be joined by top-ranked players including World No. 1 Scotty Shaffler, No. 2 Xander Schauffele (USA) and No. 3 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland). Ahn Byung-hoon and Kim Joo-hyung are the top two South Korean players in the July 17 world rankings and have already qualified for Paris.
Choi, a two-time Olympic coach, said the most important thing is to play the tournament as if it were a regular event. Unlike professional golf tournaments such as the PGA Tour, the Olympics are meaningless if you don’t finish in the top three, so she advised not to overdo it by aiming directly for the pin.
“You can never perform well if you put too much effort into your body just because it’s the Olympics,” Choi said. You should play the Olympics as if you 안전놀이터 were competing in a PGA Tour event,” Choi said. “It’s just as important to keep your score as it is to make a lot of birdies. You have to be strategic in your approach because you are ranked based on 72 holes over four days, not just one hole.”
The most important thing I would tell them is to persevere. Choi said, “You have to be patient, patient, patient. You have to wait until you have a clear chance rather than just aiming for birdies and eagles to reduce your score.” “Golf is a game where the one who stays calm and patient until the end wins. Even if you make a mistake that costs you a stroke, you can still make up for it on the remaining holes, so you need to let go of your impatience and focus on your game.”
Choi’s confidence in both players’ medal chances stems from their strong performances on the PGA Tour, which attracts the best players in the world. Ahn, ranked 32nd in the world, has five top-10 finishes this year, including a runner-up finish at the Sony Open, and is 12th in the FedExCup standings. Kim Joo-hyung Kim, runner-up at the Travelers Championship, is ranked No. 20 in the world.
“I already have the skills to win gold,” Choi said. If I can shake off the pressure and nerves, I’m sure I can get on the podium.” “I think I have my own know-how from playing majors and PGA Tour events. You just have to trust yourself and play your shots and putts with confidence,” he said.
“It’s also important to shake off the pressure of performance. It’s also important to let go of the pressure of performance. I hope they will be proud to represent their country and enjoy the global sports festival that is the Olympics.”
Le Golf Nacional is a par-71, 7174-yard course. The fairways are only 10 yards wide at the narrowest holes, and the rough is long enough to cover your golf shoes and come up to your ankles, so accurate tee shots will be key. The final three holes, Nos. 16 through 18, were the deciding factor in determining the podium finish.
Ahn was paired with Shane Lowry (IRE) and Nick Taylor (CAN) on the first and second days of the tournament. The first tee time on the first hole is 6:44 p.m. on Day 1. Kim will tee off at 4:55 p.m. alongside Jason Day (AUS) and Seb Straka (AUS).