KAWAGOE, Japan – Inbee Park calls her five-stroke victory at the 2016 Olympics the most pressure she’d experienced in her Hall of Fame career.
It will be a much different experience at this year’s Summer Games. At least, she hopes it will be.
“I mean, 2016 was far more pressure-filled than I've ever felt in my life. I don't know if I could do that again,” Park laughed on Monday at Kasumigaseki Country Club. “If I felt it once again this year, I don't think I would be able to play.”
That’s not to say Park isn’t looking forward to this week. In fact, she made a return trip a priority following her victory in 2016 and because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which postponed the Olympics one year, she landed an intensely contested spot on the South Korean team.
This time, however, she’s not dealing with an injury like she was in 2016, nor are there rumors that she is being pressured to withdraw from the event to create room for a healthy South Korean player like there were five years ago.
“I had to deal with a lot of pressure, but this year is a bit different,” she said. “It's a little bit different to 2016, but the same result would be nice, right?”