Olympic golf 2016 leaderboard: Inbee Park cruising to gold, race for silver wide open with nine holes to go

It’s okay, you can go ahead and say it. The first women’s golf Olympic gold medal since 1900 is probably coming to South Korea.

After sleeping for the second straight night on a two-shot lead, Inbee Park pulled the margin out to as many as six shots through the first nine holes with an outbound 4-under 31. Three straight birdies at the 3rd, 4th, and 5th holes —and another at the par-3 8th worked to stretch out the gap between Park and playing partners Lydia Ko and Gerina Piller. It’ll be difficult for either of those two — or China’s Shanshan Feng who’s pulled into second at 10-under-par — to run down Park on the back nine without any major sort of stumble. Park’s lead is down to four after a pull-hook left into the water on the par-5 10th and a Feng birdie, but it’s still a healthy lead. Gold is more likely than not at this point, and that’s a heck of an accomplishment for a player coming off injury that many thought should surrender her spot to another member of South Korea’s deep & talented women’s golf pipeline.

But there’s plenty of drama for the other two spots on the medal stand.

Feng, the first ever player from mainland China to take membership on the LPGA Tour, sits alone in solo second — but plenty of other familiar names are set to make a charge. World Number 1 Lydia Ko sits alone in third place at the turn at -9, while American Gerina Piller and Great Britain’s Charley Hull sit one more behind at -8. USA likely has the best chance to take home multiple medals from the tournament — Stacy Lewis is just another shot behind at 7-under-par.

Further back down the leaderboard, the best men’s or women’s Olympic round of golf ever might be in progress. After starting the day in a tie for 41st and sitting at 5-over-par for the event, Russia’s Maria Verchenova is 8-under with a couple holes to play on the front nine. Any birdie over the last two holes would give her a 62 and the best Olympic round ever — besting Marcus Fraser’s opening round 63 in the men’s event that was tied by Stacy Lewis in her second round this week.

Here’s the full leaderboard as we head down the final nine holes for medals. Keep in mind that players went off multiple tees and tee times were moved up this morning in an attempt to get the final round in before weather hits later in the day.