Surely, Mariajo Uribe is reconsidering.
Her start Wednesday must have convinced her. She birdied 1. And 2. And 4 at Le Golf National. She was rolling. But if that hadn’t done the trick, her finish would’ve. On the demanding par-5 18th, she birdied again. And when things were wrapped up after day one at the Olympics, Uribe was tied for third, five shots from the top.
She couldn’t possibly follow through now on what she’d pledged, right?
Nope, still is.
Come Saturday, regardless of whether a gold, silver or bronze medal is hanging around her neck, Uribe’s retiring.
“I mean, one of my idols is Lorena Ochoa,” Uribe said, “and she went out as No. 1 in the world, and I always thought that was so great, like just finishing on a high note.
“This year has been really special for me, and to finish with a good week here would make it an even better retirement week.”
Unexpectedly, it’s been somewhat like a multi-year victory lap for Uribe.
The 34-year-old from Colombia had been ready to hang up her golf shoes after the 2020 Games in Tokyo. It was time, she felt. In 2007, Uribe won the U.S. Women’s Am. In college, at UCLA, she was a two-time first-team All-American. In July of 2009, Uribe turned pro, and she’s won over $2 million on the LPGA Tour, with 14 career top 10s to her name. But then the 2020 Olympics were postponed a year due to Covid. And in the months before those rescheduled Games, she had a baby boy.
So she played on, with an eye on this year.
“We decided as a family to give it another try for Paris,” Uribe said. “So it’s been four years too long already.
“So I’m ready for it, but I’m excited for the week to come.”
Of course, Uribe still needed to qualify for the Games, and, as you can surmise, the story gets better. In March, in search of needed points, she entered the Women’s NSW Open in Australia — where she birdied her final hole to win the Ladies European Tour event by a stroke.
Prior to that, she’d won once professionally, at the 2011 HSBC Brazil Cup, which was an unofficial LPGA event.
This Olympic golfer is prohibited from smoking. Has it hurt her chances?
“I have felt internal pressure for sure because it takes courage to come here too,” Uribe told the Ladies European Tour website after the victory. “I’m not a member, so to write the emails and try and get invites. You might come here, and you might not make the cut.
“Even last year, I played on the LET and LET Access Series to get some opportunities to play. We will see, but I’m pretty sure this will clutch it out and I will be in Paris for now. My husband is happy because I don’t have to do a crazy schedule anymore. It’s nice to get a win after so many years, it’s a nice icing on the cake.”
There might be more.
Wednesday was special. The early birdies. The late one, which helped her bounce back from a bogey on 17. She also led the field in driving distance, at 283 yards, though not at the expense of accuracy — she hit 11 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens. The round followed a tie for 50th at the 2021 Games, and a tie for 19th at the 2016 Games in Rio, where golf was part of the Olympic schedule for the first time since 1904.
“I had a decent round, some not so great mistakes and bogeys I shouldn’t have made,” Uribe said. “But I’m right in there. I know I can shoot low. You have to hit it good off the tee here, and my driver is pretty good right now.
“So just stay in contention. Of course a medal will be great, but just enjoy this week and see what happens.”
But no, she says she’s re-evaluating.
After Paris, she says she will say au revoir.
“This is my third Olympics, but Paris feels different,” Uribe said. “The atmosphere is unbelievable. Watching the guys finish on Sunday was great. The crowds are amazing. I’m not a part of Solheim Cup, but this is probably the closest I’m going to get to. The course is unbelievable.
“I’m really happy with the decision I made, and it’s been an amazing week so far.”
