What is birdie, bogey and eagle in golf? Explaining terminologies from Aditi Ashok's Olympic event

Aditi Ashok, one of India’s medal prospects in golf, has been making waves at the Kasumigaseki Country Club golf course, in Saitama, Japan. The Tokyo Olympics 2021 is Aditi Ashok’s second appearance. She had taken part in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and finished tied-41st.

Golf can be an intricate sport at first look. Terms like birdie, bogey, eagle and par scores can be confusing.

At the Tokyo Olympics 2021, 60 athletes will be in the fray for four rounds with 18 holes each, making a total of 72 holes, and the tournament lasts for four days. The course is the same for all four rounds.

Read: India wasn't counting on golf for a medal, hopefully, I can get it done, says Aditi Ashok

At the end of all four rounds, whoever finished the entire course with the least number of strokes is adjudged the winner.

Each hole will have a predetermined number of strokes depending on the difficulty and length of the course from the tee to the hole. The players must make sure to take the same number of strokes or less than the prescribed number of strokes to be in the lead.

How does it feel to be inches away from creating history? Ask @Aditigolf! 🤩#Tokyo2020 | #StrongerTogether | #UnitedByEmotion | #BestOfTokyo pic.twitter.com/p0cKqNudJd

— #Tokyo2020 for India (@Tokyo2020hi) August 6, 2021

Par score in golf

A player who gets to hit the ball into the hole with the exact number of strokes for that particular hole is said to have achieved a par score. For example, if a hole has a three-stroke level and a player manages to putt the ball in three strokes, he is said to have achieved a par score.

Birdie

If a player manages to guide the ball into the hole with one less stroke than the predetermined number, the player is said to have achieved a birdie. For example, for a three-stroke hole, if a player putts the ball in two, the player has a birdie score.

Eagle

If a player manages to putt the ball with two strokes less than the predetermined number, the player achieves an eagle score, which is a very good score.

The final pairing for the final round of the #Olympics: @NellyKorda -15@aditigolf -12Lydia Ko -10The medal race is on. 🥇🥈🥉 #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/Ib61jDXphz

— LPGA (@LPGA) August 6, 2021

Bogey

A player gets a bogey score if he takes one more than the predetermined number of shots. This is considered a positive score which pushes the player down in his golf ranking. A double-bogey is achieved when a player takes two more than the predetermined number of strokes to complete the golf course.

At the Tokyo Olympics 2021, the par score for one round in the golf course is 71 for 18 holes. Every player would make sure to finish the round with a lesser number of strokes.