For the 60 players in the women’s Olympics golf tournament, their appearances at Le Golf National as they represent their countries are likely to be a huge source of pride.
However, for one player, the four days of strokeplay action in pursuit of one of the three medals will surely be even more memorable. That’s because for Colombian Mariajo Uribe, it will be her final event as a professional.
Uribe, who also appeared at the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2020 edition in Tokyo, had been hoping she could end her professional career in Paris as early as March, as she revealed during the Women’s NSW Open on the WPGA Tour Australasia.
“This is my last year,” she explained. “I am retiring after the Paris Olympics. I just need to make points. This week I was not going to get in the LPGA, so I might as well come here and play, make sure I get a few tournaments in. I love coming to Australia, so it’s nice to come, play some good golf.”
Uribe represents Colombia at the Games for the third time
(Image credit: Getty Images)
She won that event – the second victory of her professional career – which helped her to climb high enough in the world rankings to qualify as the only Colombian. As a result, she has her wish to make the Paris Olympics her swansong after a professional career that began in 2009, one year after she finished T10 at the US Women’s Open as an amateur.
By the end of her first year as a professional, Uribe had qualified for both the LET and LPGA Tour, with her maiden win coming in unofficial LPGA Tour event the HSBC Brazil Cup in 2011.
Mariajo Uribe’s maiden professional win came in the 2011 HSBC Brazil Cup
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Another highlight in a Major came with a T10 at the 2014 Evian Championship, while further achievements included T7 at the 2010 LPGA Tour Championship, gold medals in the individual and team events at the 2015 Pan American Games and T7 at the 2018 Bank of Hope Founders Cup. She also finished T19 at the 2016 Olympics before achieving T50 in Tokyo.
Could there be one final honor on one of the greatest stages of all? Anything is possible, although, regardless of the outcome, for Uribe, the four rounds she will get to savor this week will surely live with her long into her retirement.
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