SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France – Ali Whitaker has commentated on golf’s biggest events. From the Ryder Cup to the Solheim Cup, to major championships in both the men’s and women’s games, she is among the most respected voices in the game. Paris 2024 marks her second Olympic Games in the commentary booth, and the ex-professional golfer took time out from her broadcasting duties at Le Golf National for this Q&A ahead of the women’s competition getting under way on Wednesday.

(Editor’s note: This Q&A has been edited lightly for length and clarity.)

International Golf Federation: Le Golf National is new to most of the women’s field this week. How are you expecting the week to play out?

Whitaker: I do think that a couple of laps around this golf course help because there's a lot of strategic advantage to be gained on this golf course. I think Le Golf National is going to find a really good winner and sort the pack out in a lot of ways. Strategy is at the forefront because you've got to bank your miss in almost on every single shot, which is exhausting mentally. So, you want to make sure you come in with a really clear plan and stick to it. I think they’re going to have two different winds over the four days, one of which on Friday is meant to get really strong. So, it's going to be a very different beast to what the guys had because it was soft for them, and I think it'll be a lot bouncier for the women. It will be a little bit more of what we're used to at the French Open in years gone by.

IGF: What are you most looking forward to about the week?

Whitaker: The amazing thing from what I've seen is how many players are peaking at the moment. Honestly, I reckon I’ve seen 40 of the 60 players in the field live the last two days. I predominantly work in men’s golf but every time I come and watch women's golf, I'm so quickly reminded of how good these women are. Not that I ever questioned it, because obviously I played alongside them, but you go out and watch Anne van Dam hit a 3-wood 290 down the 18th and it's very quickly at the forefront of your mind. A lot of these women really get it out there, but there's just some amazing ball strikers. I'm looking forward to really having a chance to highlight that this week, which is just what my job is all about.

IGF: After we saw world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler win the men’s competition, whare you expecting this week?

Whitaker: Whenever you've got big crowds, the pressure on the player goes up with it. With that tendency, along with this being a quality championship golf course, I would be surprised to see a winner lower down in the world rankings. With the pressure of an Olympic gold, silver or bronze on the line, and throw into the mix the size of crowds and the nerves that come along with that down the stretch, especially on those final four holes, I think it takes experience. I'd be surprised to see a player from maybe further down the world rankings handle that kind of pressure, purely because it was the same for the men. It was like a cut-and-paste job of the world rankings. We just changed the order round on the front page of the leaderboard last week. I'm expecting the cream to once again rise to the top.

It's a golf course that requires ridiculous accuracy with your irons and a strong putting week. In general, those are the two most key issues, and it's probably going to be even more so because the women hit it straighter than the guys. So, fairways aren't going to polarise the field as much as they did with the men, where you see guys in the low 50 percentile getting really punished. Women just hit it straighter. So that's going to be less of a category to stretch the field out. I think it's all going to be about strategy, iron play and putting, and we've got the best in the world here in all of its categories, so I’m expecting some people to really excel.

IGF: How do you think Nelly Korda will perform as she defends her gold medal from Tokyo?

Whitaker: Nelly is a flusher and Nelly is the only one that stops Nelly from winning. She knows what it takes to win a gold medal. She's been under the most ridiculous pressure of her life probably this year in terms of trying to break records. No wise person would ever bet against her.

IGF: If you had to pick a potential surprise winner, who might it be, and why?

Whitaker: I'm trying to think of how far down the world rankings we could go where it would still be deemed a surprise. So, I would highlight Alexandra Försterling of Germany. I think she is easily good enough to medal. She will no doubt be on a Solheim Cup team in the next few years, if not later this season. She is certainly good enough to be one of those that might be lesser known by audiences around the world that don't watch the Ladies European Tour. Another is Miyu Yamashita from Japan. Again, she is another lesser-known player, but a very good one.

If I was allowed to suggest someone higher ranked, then I’d say Rose Zhang. She won the World Amateur Team Championship title at Le Golf National in 2022, so while she has been slightly off the boil of late, she knows the course and likes it.

IGF: What have you made of the crowds and are they comparable to a Ryder Cup/Solheim Cup?

Whitaker: It was a very different energy last week than a Ryder Cup or Solheim Cup. It was rowdier in the fact that a lot of people have come to Paris, and they want to see as many sports as they can and think where can I get tickets to today? We’re getting people that have never watched golf before coming, which is what the Olympics is all about. It sounds as though we're going to have sellout crowds again, all of the players are talking about it. They're going, “We've heard it is sold out. Is that true?” They're so excited for it. They saw last week, and they just want a piece of it, and they're pumped, especially for the weekend.

IGF: What makes the closing stretch at Le Golf National so demanding?

Whitaker: You can make a birdie, or you can make a double bogey, with just a switch of the wind. The margins are honestly that fine, which makes for thrilling viewing for us. I love when a final hole has a decision involved because not only do you have to make the right plan, then you've got to be able to execute it and it's not straightforward at all. For the majority of players, if there's a crosswind, they've practiced with the wind helping down 18 the last two days. A lot of players will either hit a little bunt driver or a 3-wood to keep the water out of play on the tee shot, but then they're left with about 180 to a green with very little depth. That's hard to hold. And so, then you've got the question, do I go for it, or do I lay up? Whenever you have multiple options in your mind, there is a risk for a nightmare if you get it wrong.