KAWAGOE, Japan (Kyodo) -- Mone Inami won Japan's first Olympic golf medal when she emerged from a playoff against New Zealand's Lydia Ko on Saturday, both players finishing one shot behind gold medalist Nelly Korda of the United States.

       Inami beat Ko in a playoff after both players shot 65 and were tied for second on 16-under after 72 holes at Kasumigaseki Country Club, northwest of Tokyo, forcing a playoff to determine silver and bronze.

       Korda shot a 69 for a 17-under total to finish one clear at the head of the field.

       It was the second golf playoff at these games after the men's event ended with a seven-way showdown for bronze on Sunday.

       On the penultimate day of the Tokyo Olympics, two-time major champion Ko missed her par putt on the first playoff hole to fail in repeating her silver medal performance from the Rio Games. All three medalists from Rio were competing in Tokyo.

       Inami hit both fairway and green in the playoff, played on the 18th, two-putting for par on the hole she bogeyed when in a share of the tournament lead just minutes earlier.

       Korda, who entered the day with a three-shot lead, helped the United States secure a gold medal sweep of golf following Xander Schauffele's triumph last week.

       Korda's sister Jessica was also among the 60-woman field. She finished tied for 15th at 9-under. Their brother Sebastian qualified for the U.S. Olympic tennis team but declined a spot, choosing to stay focused on tour events.

       Aditi Ashok had a real shot at winning India's first medal in the sport as she was tied for third when rain and the threat of thunderstorms delayed play for about 30 minutes in the afternoon. She finished fourth at 15-under after shooting four rounds in the 60s, a stellar performance for a player ranked 200 in the world.

       Japan's Nasa Hataoka was in a group of six players tied for ninth on 10-under, which included Yuka Saso, the first major winner from the Philippines.

       The half-Japanese Saso shot a 74 in her opening round but bounced back with a 68, 67 and a Saturday 65 to roar up the leaderboard in her Olympic debut.

       The women's golf tournament, like other Olympic events, had already faced delays in earlier rounds due to the intense Japanese summer heat. The final round started at 6:30 a.m., an hour earlier than originally scheduled to avoid the worst of it.

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