Olympic golfer Gerina Piller wears her patriotism on her sleeve

Gerina Piller is red, white and blue to the core. For her first round Wednesday, she wore her patriotism on her sleeve ... and head and eyes.

Piller, who recently moved from Fort Worth to Flower Mound, wore a USA visor, USA shorts and Oakley USA sunglasses. Her caddie, Brian Dilley, carried her USA bag.

Piller, 31, became emotional during a pre-tournament press conference Tuesday when asked what winning a gold medal would mean.

It would, she said, mean everything.

“I’m kind of an emotional person, I guess,” she said a day later. “Any time I talk about representing my country and what it would mean to hold the medal for our country and hear the national anthem, I’m just so proud to be an American. I think our country is the best. I couldn’t be more proud or blessed to be an American. Any time I can represent our country and succeed and stand on the podium, it gets me every time.”

In sharp contrast to the men’s tournament last week, held without many of its PGA stars, including Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy, the LPGA brought its top draws to play for love of country.

Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn, second in the Rolex rankings, leads after the first round with a 6-under 65. Korea’s Inbee Park, ranked fifth in the world, and Sei Young Kim, ranked sixth, both shot 66.

All three Americans remain in the hunt after one of four rounds at the Olympic Golf Course.

Lexi Thompson, ranked fourth in the world, is tied for seventh, three strokes back. Piller, ranked 15th, shot 2 under, tying her for 11th. The Woodlands’ Stacy Lewis, ranked seventh, is tied for 19th with a 1-under 70.

“It was a great day,” said Thompson, not referring to her play.

This marks the first time in 116 years that the Olympics includes women’s golf.

It matters not that the winner’s spoils don’t include a fat paycheck. The Olympic gold medal, the LPGA golfers agree, makes this as big as any tournament they play.

Despite playing individual stroke play, the American golfers are rooting for each other, hoping for a podium sweep. They are staying in a condo together, too, and eating out together and watching other Olympic events together.

That’s what the Olympics are about. That’s what the PGA golfers who bailed on the event failed to realize.

Piller remembers watching the 1996 women’s gymnastics team, the Magnificent Seven that included Kerri Strug, Shannon Miller and Dominique Dawes.

Seeing Strug carried by coach Bela Karolyi to the podium spurred Piller’s Olympic dream.

“Obviously I thought that would be pretty awesome to be in the Olympics,” Piller said. “But, I mean, it’s gymnastics. I can’t even touch my toes. That dream pretty much went out the window. But when golf came back, I thought, ‘Wow, here’s my chance to go to the Olympics.’ Never thought I’d be standing here giving an interview about being in the Olympics. It’s just a dream come true.”

Last September, Piller made an 8-foot birdie putt to clinch the Solheim Cup for the U.S. She cried then, too.

Her eighth-place finish at the U.S. Women’s Open last month clinched a spot in the Olympics. More tears.

“I feel like this year I’ve played really well, and it’s given me a ton of confidence,” Piller said. “... It wasn’t like I finished 40th to squeak in. I had a top-10 in the U.S. Open. That’s an accomplishment in itself.”

Piller’s husband, pro golfer Martin, is playing the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C. He ranks 160th in FedEx Cup points, needing to jump into the top 125 for a Tour card.

A good finish for Martin and a medal for Gerina would make for a perfect weekend.

“I think we’d both be happy with that outcome,” she said.

Piller has her parents in Rio, walking the course. Her mother, an elementary school teacher in Roswell, N.M., still is processing the fact that Gerina is an Olympian.

“She was telling her kids, ‘You can be an Olympian, too,’ ” Piller said. “She paused and was like, ‘Wow, my daughter’s an Olympian.’ It’s pretty cool to hear her say that.”

Cooler even than being an LPGA golfer.

This story was originally published August 17, 2016 at 6:27 PM with the headline "Olympic golfer Gerina Piller wears her patriotism on her sleeve."