We are family: at Rio 2016, women golfers don't look far from home for their caddies
Fathers, brothers, sisters, mothers, boyfriends and husbands: the first ever Olympic women golfers are keeping caddying in the family
Pandit Gudlamani is the caddie of his daughter Aditi Ashok, the youngest competitor in the Rio 2016 women's golf tournament (Photo: Getty Images/Scott Halleran)
Of the 60 women golfers competing at Rio 2016, 21 have chosen to use a family member or boyfriend as their caddy; out on the Olympic Golf Course, accompanying the athletes every step of the way, are four fathers, one mother, five brothers or sisters, five husbands and six boyfriends or fiancés.
Rio-time updates: follow the action with our daily liveblog
The caddy of Indian golfer Aditi Ashok, aged just 18, is her father Pandit Gudlamani. Ashok is the youngest competitor in the event and is seen as a major promise for the future.
Irish golfer Leona Maguire, the current world amateur no.1, didn't have far to look for her choice of caddy: twin sister Lisa, herself an accomplished golfer.
"I kind of have to suck it up for this week. On a regular week I wouldn't do it but for this week I'll do as I am told," said Lisa.
"We do get on very well. She knows what to say at the right time and she knows when to be quiet," said Leona. "There'll be no fights this week."
Twin sisters Leona and Lisa Maguire are both in action this week on the Olympic Golf Course: Leona competing, Lisa as her caddy (Photo: Getty Images/Scott Halleran)
Canada's Brooke Henderson and Italy's Giulia Molinari have both brought their sisters to Rio, while Pornanung Phatlim of Thailand and Spain's Carlota Ciganda are here with their brothers.
"It's a unique opportunity that I wanted to share with my sister Sofia," Molinari said in an interview in the Olympic Village.
Inbee Park leads quartet bidding to extend Korea's dominance of women's golf
Victoria Lovelady, the Brazilian golfer, has her husband Jacob as caddy. South Africa's Ashleigh Simon has taken her fiancé David Buhai to Rio to carry her clubs. "We never thought this could happen, because golf wasn't even an Olympic sport," she said. "It is the cherry on the cake of a fantastic year." The two plan to marry in December.
Julieta Granada from Paraguay is the only golfer to be using her mother as a caddy. Michelle Koh (Malaysia), Lexi Thompson (USA) and Albane Valenzuela (Switzerland) are all here with their fathers.
Swiss golfer Albane Valenzuela and her father/caddie Alberto Valenzuela (Photo: Getty Images/Ross Kinaird)
Other golfers are out on the Olympic Golf Course with their husbands, including Karine Icher (France), Azahara Muñoz (Spain) and Ursula Wikstrom (Finland).
Belgian golfer Chloé Leurquib, Sweden's Pernilla Lindberg, Denmark's Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Finland's Noora Tamminen are all here with their boyfriends. Another Nordic, Marianne Skarpnord from Norway, is here with her fiancé.
Close contest
The first ever Olympic golf tournament for women ends on Saturday (20 August). Going into the final round, Inbee Park of Republic of Korea has a two-shot lead over world no.1 Lydia Ko from New Zealand.
Ko was one of two golfers to score a hole-in-one at hole no.8 on Friday, after China's Lina Xiyu earlier in the day. Last week, two male golfers (gold medallist Justin Rose of Great Britain and South Africa's Jaco van Zyl) also recorded aces as male golfers returned to the Games for the first time since St Louis 1904.
