Olympic golf is back for the third time since its reinstatement into the games in 2016, and the men’s action is set to commence at Le Golf National on Thursday. First played in Paris in 1900 and again in St. Louis in 1904, Olympic golf took a 112-year hiatus before returning to the schedule in Rio and Tokyo for the postponed 2021 games.
Starting on Thursday, men’s golf is set to return to the Olympics at Le Golf National for the third time since its addition in 2016. Olympic golf was first played in Paris in 1900 and again in St. Louis in 1904. After a 112-year hiatus, it was brought back for the postponed 2021 games in Rio and Tokyo.
Sixty players from thirty-two nations made it into the field by way of the Official World Golf Rankings. The best seven and ten players from the top 15 in the world are competing this year; the top 15 players worldwide automatically qualify, although each nation is only allowed four competitors per flag. Until the 60-man field is filled, the top two golfers from each nation are invited to the Olympics if they finish outside of the top 15. Next week, the women’s competition will get underway using the same qualifying format. The 2018 Ryder Cup was held at Le Golf National’s Albatros Course, 26 miles from the Olympic Village. The European team won 17.5–10.5 against the American team. Additionally, it is home to the Open de France on the DP World Tour.
Schedule
The men’s stroke play tournament’s opening round is scheduled to begin on Thursday at 9 a.m. local time (3 a.m. ET).The second, third, and fourth rounds will all take place at the same time, with the medal presentation taking place after the final round on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET.
How to watch
TV: Golf Channel in the U.S. BBC Sport in the U.K.
Streaming: Peacock in the U.S. BBC Sport in the U.K.
Who’s on Team USA
As the number one player in the world, Scheffler is the face of Team USA. In Paris, the two-time Masters champion will compete in his first Olympics and attempt to win his 12th career title globally. The 28-year-old Scheffler recently finished in the top seven at the Open Championship at Royal Troon, which is his 12th major finish in the top ten and his 14th top ten of the year.
Schauffele hopes to successfully defend the gold medal in Paris in 2024 and add a third victory to his resume. Schauffele won the 2020 match by a single shot over Rory Sabbatini (Slovakia). After winning both The Open in Scotland and the PGA Championship at Valhalla, Schauffele became just the 16th player to win two major championships in a single season. The 30-year-old San Diego native has won nine times on the PGA Tour.
Forever a gold medalist. @XSchauffele is a proud Olympian. #OlympicGolf pic.twitter.com/Zfr9yYr2nt
— Olympic Golf (@OlympicGolf) July 30, 2024
For the second time, Morikawa, the sixth-ranked player in the world, is competing for Team USA in the Olympics. Morikawa competed in a sudden-death playoff with six other athletes for the bronze medal at the Tokyo games, a competition that C.T. Pan ultimately won. The 27-year-old Morikawa finished T3 at the Masters, T4 at the PGA, T14 at the U.S. Open, and T16 at The Open, putting together one of his best major championship seasons to date.
The final member of Team USA golf represented in the Paris Games is 30-year-old Wyndham Clark. The winner of the 2023 U.S. Open is ranked fifth overall. In 2023, he won his first PGA Tour event at the Wells Fargo Championship. A little over a month later, at Los Angeles Country Club, he captured his first major championship. Bryson DeChambeau, the current U.S. Open winner, was not invited to the Olympics. DeChambeau, who is a member of LIV Golf, where events are not recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking, finished the Olympic qualifying period as the fifth-best American player in the rankings, despite his significant victory this season.
Key storylines
With a four-day stroke play format that is similar to almost every other week on the PGA Tour, this event, unlike other Olympic sports, will have a fascinating storyline leading up to it with Schauffele and Scheffler’s competition for PGA Tour Player of the Year. For the top two players in the world, a gold medal would be a huge addition to their resumes. In 2024, Schauffele will have won two majors, compared to Scheffler’s one (the Masters) and five PGA Tour victories.
Rory McIlroy, who missed the 2016 Olympics in Rio and played with Morikawa in the seven-man bronze medal playoff in 2020, will also be the center of attention. McIlroy’s performance in Paris might be the much-needed redemption after a depressing missed cut at The Open and a sad near miss against DeChambeau at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. This week, McIlroy gave an explanation of how winning an Olympic gold medal would enhance his legacy and alter the perception of his ten-year major drought during a news conference at Le Golf National.
“It would be the achievement, certainly of the year … for me, it’s well documented that I haven’t won one of the big four in 10 years. It would probably be one if, if not the biggest in my career for the last 10 years,” he said.
This week at the Albatros Course, Matthieu Pavon of France will be the hometown hero. The 31-year-old from Toulouse, France, who joined the PGA Tour in February, had his greatest professional season to date. He won his maiden tour event at the Farmers Insurance Open.
“After a few days in the Olympic Village, the Opening Ceremony in Paris with all the crowds in front of the Eiffel Tower and all the great moments the last few days, it really feels like a gold medal would be now ranked higher than a major for me,” he said.
Tee times
(All times local)
• 9:00 a.m./10:55 a.m. — Victor Perez (France), Matti Schmid (Germany), C.T. Pan (Chinese Taipei)
• 9:11 a.m./11:06 a.m. — Thorbjørn Olesen (Denmark), Alejandro Tosti (Argentina), Joaquin Niemann (Chile)
• 9:22 a.m./11:17 a.m. — Emiliano Grillo (Argentina), Alex Noren (Sweden), Ryan Fox (New Zealand)
• 9:33 a.m./11:33 a.m. — Min Woo Lee (Australia) Corey Conners (Canada), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (South Africa)
• 9:44 a.m./11:44 a.m. — Wyndham Clark (USA), Hideki Matsuyama (Japan), Tommy Fleetwood (Great Britain)
• 9:55 a.m./11:55 a.m. — Sepp Straka (Austria), Jason Day (Australia), Tom Kim (Korea)
• 10:11 a.m./12:06 p.m. — Scottie Scheffler (USA), Rory McIlroy (Ireland), Ludvig Åberg (Sweden)
• 10:22 a.m./12:17 p.m. — Adrien Dumont de Chassart (Belgium), Daniel Hillier (New Zealand), Guido Migliozzi (Italy)
• 10:33 a.m./12:28 p.m. — Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand), Gavin Green (Malaysia), Gaganjeet Bhullar (India)
• 10:44 a.m./12:39 p.m. — Phachara Khongwatmai (Thailand), Abraham Ancer (Mexico), Dou Zecheng (China)
• 10:55 a.m./9:00 a.m. — Yuan Yechun (China), Camilo Villegas (Colombia), Matteo Manassero (Italy)
• 11:06 a.m./9:11 a.m. — Adrian Meronk (Poland), Sami Valimaki (Finland), David Puig (Spain)
• 11:17 a.m./9:22 a.m. — Erik van Rooyen (South Africa), Keita Nakajima (Japan), Kevin Yu (Chinese Taipei)
• 11:33 a.m./9:33 a.m. — Stephan Jaeger (Germany), Nicolai Højgaard (Denmark), Thomas Detry (Belgium)
• 11:44 a.m./9:44 a.m. — Byeong Hun An (Korea), Shane Lowry (Ireland), Nick Taylor (Canada)
• 11:55 a.m./9:55 a.m. — Xander Schauffele (USA), Viktor Hovland (Norway), Jon Rahm (Spain)
• 12:06 p.m./10:11 a.m. — Matthieu Pavon (France), Collin Morikawa (USA), Matt Fitzpatrick (Great Britain)
• 12:17 p.m./10:22 a.m. — Shubhankar Sharma (India), Rafael Campos (Puerto Rico), Carlos Ortiz (Mexico)
• 12:28 p.m./10:33 a.m. — Nico Echavarria (Colombia), Mito Pereira (Chile), Kris Ventura (Norway)
• 12:39 p.m./10:44 a.m. — Fabrizio Zanotti (Paraguay), Joel Girrbach (Switzerland), Tapio Pulkkanen (Finland)
(Photos of Rory McIlroy, left, and Matt Fitzpatrick: Andrew Redington / Getty Images)
