Miles Bennett
Golf was first introduced to the Olympic Games in 1900 and was also contested in 1904. However, it was then removed from the Olympic programme and didn't make a return until 2016, when it featured in the Rio Games. The sport has been contested at every Summer Olympics since, including the 2020 Tokyo Games and the 2024 Paris Games. The Olympic Golf Competition consists of 72 holes (no cut) of individual stroke play for both men and women, with four rounds scheduled over four consecutive days. The golfer with the lowest cumulative score at the end of the four rounds wins the gold medal.
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What You'll Learn
Golf's Olympic history
Golf has had a sporadic history at the Olympic Games. The sport first featured in the 1900 Paris Games, returning four years later for the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis. However, it then disappeared from the Olympic programme for over a century, only returning in 2016 for the Rio Games.
Golf's debut in 1900 saw 22 golfers compete, with 77 taking part in 1904. The 1904 tournament was notable for featuring the first (and only) team golf competition at the Olympics. Teams of 10 were formed from various regional golf associations across the United States, with the gold medal won by the Western Golf Association. The 1904 Games also saw the only Olympic boycott in golf's history, with British golfers refusing to take part due to a dispute over the format. This left George Lyon of Canada as the only entrant, and he duly won gold.
After 1904, golf disappeared from the Olympics, with tournaments planned for 1908 and 1920 both cancelled due to a lack of entries. It would take until 2009 for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to vote to reinstate golf for the 2016 Rio Games. The 2016 tournament was held at the Campo Olímpico de Golfe, a new course built specifically for the Games.
Golf has since featured at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and will return for the 2024 Paris Games. The 2020 edition saw Xander Schauffele of the USA take gold in the men's tournament, with South Korea's Inbee Park claiming the women's title. Golf's Olympic history has been brief, but it has grown to become one of the biggest draws of the Games.
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Olympic Golf Rankings
Golf was recognised as a sport in the Summer Olympic Games programme in 1900 and 1904. However, it was discontinued until its revival in 2016. The Olympic Golf Competition consists of 72 holes (no cut) of individual stroke play for both men and women, with four rounds scheduled over four consecutive days.
The International Golf Federation (IGF) uses the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) to create the Olympic Golf Rankings (OGR) as a method of determining eligibility. The top 15 world-ranked players are eligible for the Olympics, with a maximum of four players from a given country.
Following that, players are eligible based on the world rankings, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top 15. This continues until the number of 59 athletes is reached, including continental places. One spot is also reserved for the host country.
Each of the five continents of the Olympic Movement will be guaranteed at least one athlete in each of the women's and men's events, respectively. If they have not automatically qualified, the continental places will be allocated to the highest-ranked athlete(s) on the OGR from the continent(s) without representation.
The OGR is calculated every Monday following the completion of the previous week's tournaments from around the world and is updated on the IGF website every Tuesday. Points are awarded to athletes based on their final positions in each event, with performances in events with stronger fields earning more points. Ranking points for each player accumulate over a two-year "rolling" period. The OGR is ordered according to the average points that athletes accumulate over the applicable two-year period.
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Qualification criteria
Following that, players will be eligible based on the world rankings, with a maximum of two players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top 15. This continues until a field of 60 golfers is reached. The host country is guaranteed one spot for a male golfer and one for a female golfer.
The Olympic Golf Rankings (OGR) are calculated every Monday following the completion of the previous week's tournaments from around the world and are updated on the IGF website every Tuesday. Points are awarded to athletes based on their final positions in each event, with performances in events with stronger fields earning more points, in accordance with a points distribution schedule approved by the IGF. Ranking points for each player accumulate over a two-year "rolling" period.
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Competition format
The Olympic Golf Rankings (OGR) are calculated every Monday following the completion of the previous week's tournaments from around the world. The rankings are determined by the International Golf Federation (IGF), which uses the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) for men and the Women's World Golf Rankings for women. The OGR is ordered according to the average points that athletes manage to accumulate over a two-year "rolling" period. Points are awarded based on athletes' final positions in each event, with performances in events with stronger fields earning more points.
Qualification for the Olympics is based primarily on the OGR. The top 15 world-ranked players will be eligible for the Olympics, with a limit of four players from a given country. Following that, players will be eligible based on the world rankings, with a maximum of up to two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top 15. This continues until a field of 60 golfers is reached. The host country is guaranteed one spot for each gender.
The Olympic golf competition consists of 72 holes *(no cut)* of individual stroke play for both men and women, with four rounds scheduled over four consecutive days. Each time a player advances the ball toward the hole using a club, it is recorded as one stroke. Players may only use their clubs to contact the ball. Players may carry a maximum of 14 golf clubs in their bag during a round, and clubs can be swapped out between rounds or if a club is damaged through no fault of the player.
The golfer with the lowest cumulative score at the end of the four rounds wins the gold medal. Sudden-death playoffs are used to determine the silver and bronze medalists.
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Medal winners
Golf was first included in the Olympic Games in 1900 and again in 1904. However, after a long hiatus, it was reintroduced to the Olympic programme in 2016. The 1900 Games in Paris saw Charles Sands (USA) take gold, with Walter Rutherford (Great Britain) and David Robertson (Great Britain) winning silver and bronze, respectively. In the women's competition, Margaret Abbott (USA) won gold, Pauline Whittier (USA) took silver, and Daria Pratt (USA) received bronze.
In 1904, the Olympic organisers decided not to hold a women's competition. The men's individual medals went to George Lyon (Canada) with gold, H. Chandler Egan (USA) receiving silver, and Burt McKinnie (USA) and Francis Newton (USA) taking joint bronze.
Golf was set to be included in the 1908 and 1920 Games, but both were cancelled due to a lack of entries. The sport made its comeback in 2016, with the 2020 Tokyo Games seeing two Americans, Xander Schauffele and Nelly Korda, clinch gold medals.
The 2024 Olympic Golf competition will be held at Le Golf National in Guyancourt, just outside Paris. The men's tournament will take place from 1-4 August, and the women's from 7-10 August. The Olympic Golf Competition consists of 72 holes (no cut) of individual stroke play for both men and women, with four rounds scheduled over four consecutive days. The golfer with the lowest cumulative score at the end of the four rounds wins the gold medal, with silver and bronze going to the second and third-place finishers.
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Frequently asked questions
Golf first featured in the Summer Olympics in 1900 and was also contested in 1904. It was then removed and didn't return until 2016, when it was held in Rio de Janeiro.
The OGR are calculated every Monday after the completion of the previous week's tournaments and are updated on the IGF website every Tuesday.
Qualification is based primarily on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) for men and the Women's World Golf Rankings. The top 15 of each gender automatically qualify, with a limit of four per country. Then, the highest-ranked players from countries that have not yet qualified two players are selected until a field of 60 is reached.
The Olympic golf competition is an individual stroke play tournament consisting of 72 holes played over four days. The golfer with the lowest cumulative score at the end of the four rounds wins the gold medal, while the second- and third-place finishers receive silver and bronze medals, respectively.
