World number one Nelly Korda will have the honor of anchoring the United States women's golf team at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris this summer. USA Golf announced on Tuesday that Korda, the defending gold medalist, will be joined by rising stars Lilia Vu and Rose Zhang who will both be making their Olympic debuts.

Korda cemented her status as the top player in women's golf with her victory at Tokyo Olympics, where she defeated Japan's Mone Inami in a playoff to capture the gold. The 25-year-old American has carried that momentum into this season, so far in 2023, Nelly Korda has already won 5 times on the LPGA Tour. Korda will now look to become only the second woman to ever win back-to-back singles gold medals in golf.

For the red, white and blue!

🇺🇸 @NellyKorda
🇺🇸 @TheLiliaVu
🇺🇸 @RoseZhang #OlympicGolf | @TeamUSA | @USAGolf pic.twitter.com/0cUofWrUxo

— Olympic Golf (@OlympicGolf) June 25, 2024

"I'm honored to represent the United States once again on the Olympic stage this summer in Paris," Korda said. "Winning the gold medal in Tokyo was a dream come true and an incredible highlight to my career. I'm looking forward to defending my gold medal and bringing home some more hardware for Team USA."

Joining Korda on the squad is 26-year-old Lilia Vu, currently ranked second in the world. Vu has burst onto the scene in 2022 with her first major championship runner-up finish at the PGA Championship in addition to two other top-5s. She will hope to follow in Korda's footsteps and ascend to the top of the Olympic podium in her debut.

Rounding out the trio is 21-year-old Rose Zhang, who at world number 9 is the highest-ranked amateur in women's golf. Zhang had an incredible 2021 season where she won the Mark H. McCormack Medal as the world's top-ranked amateur. She will be one of the youngest golfers competing in Paris and could surprise with her outstanding ball-striking and competitive fire.

USA Golf executive director Andy Levinson stated that this team is "poised to reach the podium in Paris" given their collective success so far this season. The women's Olympic golf tournament will take place from  Aug. 7-10 at Le Golf National just outside Paris, with Korda, Vu and Zhang flying the flag for Team USA.

Read more: Women's Olympics Golf Field Finalized After Late Drama

How did Lilia Vu and Rose Zhang prepare for their Olympic debuts

Lilia Vu and Rose Zhang both had outstanding college careers that have gotten them primed and pumped for their Olympic debuts in Paris.

Vu absolutely tore it up during her time at UCLA. She cleaned up, winning tournaments left and right while racking up accolades like Pac-12 Golfer of the Year. Vu set school records for career wins and lowest single-season scoring average - she was on another level. After some early LPGA struggles, Vu has found her groove, taking home majors and rising to #1 in the world. She says her college coaching and experience all over different courses truly set her up for success as a pro and now an Olympian.

Lilia Vu with AIG Women's Open Trophy at the Walton Heath Golf Club (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Zhang dominated just as hard during her Stanford days. She brought home multiple individual NCAA tiles and top awards back-to-back. Zhang broke records for career marks and single-season stats. Transitioning quickly after college, she immediately won on the LPGA before qualifying for her first Olympics. Her total domination in college no doubt gave her the steel she needed for the highest Olympic stage.

Rose Zhang (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)

Both Vu and Zhang's insane college careers have been huge in shaping them into the primed athletes ready to fly the stars and stripes for Team USA in Paris. Their NCAA success laid the perfect foundation for big time Olympic glory. They're definitely ready to ball out.

References: https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/40429704/nelly-korda-anchoring-team-usa-paris-olympics 

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