Golf: Thumb injury threatens Park's Olympic dream

South Korea's Park In Bee may miss the Rio Olympics due to a thumb injury, her agent said on Wednesday (June 15). PHOTO: AFP

SEOUL (AFP) - South Korean world No. 3 golfer Park In Bee may miss the Rio Olympics owing to a thumb injury, her agent said Wednesday (June 15).

The problem will also keep her from this week's Meijer LPGA Classic in Michigan and her next appearance will be decided later, depending on the condition of her sprained thumb, said her agent Matt Kim.

"She complains of sporadic pain on her left thumb", he told AFP.

"It remains to be seen whether she can compete in the Olympic Games. It will depend on the condition of her injury," he said.

The 27-year-old had suffered a back injury that forced her to take a month-long break at the beginning of the season.

Park qualified for LPGA Tour Hall of Fame during last week's Women's PGA Championship, despite missing the cut by two strokes.

She said last week that she would give a chance to someone else to compete in the Olympics in August should she fail to recover fully in time.

"It's still two months away and I just don't know what my thumb is going to do until then," she told journalists.

"If I'm not at my full condition, I kind of feel like I need to give a chance to somebody else who can perform so much better than me at the moment," she added.

Rio will stage Olympic golf for the first time in 112 years, with 60 competitors each in the men's and women's events playing a 72-hole strokeplay tournament.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.