Pia Babnik produced an excellent second round of 66 (-6) to move herself into medal contention in the Women’s Olympic Golf Competition.
The Slovenian star began the day in a share of 30th place after carding an opening 74 (+2) at Le Golf National.
But Babnik got off to a good start on day two with a birdie on the third hole, before dropping her only shot of the day on the fourth hole.
The 20-year-old, who is making her second appearance at the Olympic Games, rolled in a birdie on the ninth to make the turn in 35 (-2).
Babnik then went on a birdie blitz making five on the trot between holes 12 and 16 to surge up the leaderboard.
The two-time LET winner now sits in a tie for fourth place on four-under-par alongside Colombia’s Mariajo Uribe – four shots behind leader Morgane Metraux.
“It was a great round, it started pretty well,” she said. “I was close on the first hole for birdie. Second one, my chip was close, so I gave myself a lot of chances for birdies and I took some of them. The five birdies in a row was pretty cool.
“[On the consecutive birdies] I was just trying to make another one. On 16, Sarah [Schober] made her putt and the crowd went crazy. I was like, I have to make this, so they go crazy too. I was lucky it went in. I just tried to play good golf all day.
“I was more focused on trying to hit the fairway. It’s definitely not easy. You just have to keep the ball on the fairway, and then it’s a lot easier but also some second shots are pretty tough. I managed today to overcome these things.”
Babnik has had a dramatic turnaround in form after struggling on the golf course in 2023 when she only made three cuts on the Ladies European Tour (LET).
The Slovenian began to change her technique last summer and it has paid off this season as she has not missed a cut and secured three top-10 finishes on Tour in 2024.
She explained: “I think it was a long process since last August when I started to change my technique. This year, it all sort of came together. I had to change my swing; it was all over the place. Also, when you play well, it’s a lot easier mentally.”
Babnik, who made her Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2021 at the age of 17, is really enjoying her Olympic experience the second time around.
From the crowds cheering at Le Golf National to seeing Novak Djokovic in the Village, the 20-year-old is having a great time while trying to be aggressive on the golf course.
“It’s been amazing,” she added. “I saw some Slovenia athletes who are really good and they are super nice. Probably the best part was after Novak Djokovic won the medal, he came to the Village and he was in the Serbian house, and we drove by and they were just dancing, screaming and it was just so fun to watch.
“Last time in Tokyo, we didn’t have crowds, and I didn’t know what to expect, but this week here, it’s just amazing. I could play this every week. It’s so much fun and it’s so great to see people come and watch and cheer for us. It’s just amazing.
“I will try to play my game and hit fairways and be aggressive where I can be, and that’s it. Then I will see where I end up.”
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