Fore!
The world's best golfers will hit the fairways in France on Thursday for the 2024 Olympics.
The sport was introduced at the 1900 Olympics, but it was quickly removed after 1904. Golf returned in 2016 and has since become one of the more compelling competitions to watch — even more now given the divide in professional golf. Players have been split up with the emergence of LIV Golf, while others remain loyal to the PGA Tour. At the Olympics, golfers from both tours will face off with loyalty only to their country.
The United States claimed gold medals for the men's and women's individual categories at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and now it will look to defend its victories.
Here's a breakdown of golf at the Olympics, including the format, schedule and competitors:
When and where will golf take place at the 2024 Olympics?
Golf competition will take place from Aug. 1 to Aug. 10 at Le Golf National, located in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, 41 km from the Olympic Village in Paris.
The men's event will be held from Aug. 1 to Aug. 4, followed by the women's event from Aug. 7 to Aug. 10.
How does golf work at the Olympics?
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There are four rounds of the men's and women's individual events before a winner is crowned.
It's similar to the PGA Tour format, where golfers compete over four days and the players with the lowest score after 72 holes wins. Unlike the PGA Tour, obviously, medals will be awarded to the individual with the lowest score (gold), second-lowest score (silver) and third-lowest score (bronze).
What is the golf format and schedule for the 2024 Olympics?
Olympic golf uses the stroke play format, which means that the player with the fewer total number of shots after four days and 72 holes wins.
The PGA Tour follows the same format, but LIV Golf is a shorter competition. LIV uses a 54-hole stroke play format over three days with a team and championship element.
While Olympic golf follows PGA's 72-hole and four-day format, it doesn't cut players after the second round. In that way, it follows the LIV format of letting every player compete from the first through the final round — regardless of how far behind they are.
How many golfers will compete in the 2024 Olympics?
There will be 120 golfers competing in Paris: 60 men and 60 women. That number remains unchanged from the 2020 Olympics, when Team USA's Xander Schauffele and Nelly Korda claimed the men's and women's gold medals.
How do golfers qualify for the Olympics?
Golfers qualify for the Olympics based on the Olympic Golf Ranking (OGR).
France, the host nation, is guaranteed to have two golfers: one man and one woman. The OGR will decide the other 118 competitors.
So, what is the OGR exactly? It's a system that awards points based on finishing positions in tournaments over a two-year "rolling" period. You can read more about the math behind it all here, but the bottom line is that the system ensures that the best players will qualify.
There's one other caveat, too. Each of the five Olympic continents (Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania) are guaranteed to have one man and women in the tournament. Even if a continent doesn't have a player ranked in qualifying position for the OGR, the highest-ranked eligible athlete will be given a bid.
