Trevor Ng
Golf is believed to have first been played in the Netherlands, and later in Britain in the 15th century. Its first rules were established in the Scottish city of St. Andrews in 1754. Golf was one of the first modern sports to set out its rules in 1744, but it didn't become a fixture at the Olympics until 2016. Since its reintroduction, Olympic golf has consisted of individual stroke play tournaments for men and women, with the lowest score after four rounds winning the gold medal. However, in April 2025, it was announced that a new mixed team event will be added to golf for the 2028 Summer Olympics. So, while golf is not currently a team sport at the Olympics, this will change in the future.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Status as a team sport | Golf is an individual sport at the Olympics, with men's and women's tournaments consisting of 72 holes played over four days. |
| Scoring | The golfer with the lowest cumulative score at the end of the four rounds wins the gold medal. |
| Qualification | 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. |
| History | Golf first appeared in the 1900 and 1904 Olympic Games but then took a 112-year hiatus before returning in 2016. It has been a fixture at the Olympics since then. |
| Governing Body | The International Golf Federation (IGF) is the governing body for golf at the Olympic Games. |
| Rules and Gameplay | The essential rule of golf is that for each stroke, the player must play the ball as it lies and accept the course as they find it. The aim is to get the ball from the tee into the hole in as few strokes as possible. |
| Hazards | Golfers must navigate bunkers (sand traps), rough terrain, trees, and water hazards during their rounds. |
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What You'll Learn
Olympic golf competition format
Golf was recognised as a Summer Olympic sport in 1900 and was also contested in 1904. However, it was then removed and didn't make a return until 2016, at the Rio Games. It has since been included in the 2020 Tokyo Games, the 2024 Paris Games, and will be part of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
The Olympic golf competition is similar to events on the PGA and LPGA Tours. It 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, with silver and bronze medals going to the second- and third-place finishers.
Both the men's and women's golf tournaments at the Olympics are comprised of four 18-hole rounds. The men's tournament was held from 1-4 August, while the women's tournament took place from 7-10 August.
In the event of two or more players finishing with the same score after four rounds, those players will compete in a sudden-death playoff. Each player will play one extra hole, and additional holes will be played if necessary until a winner is determined.
There had been calls for the IGF and IOC to consider adding a team tournament and/or opening up the Olympic tournament to more golfers. In April 2025, it was announced that a new mixed team event will be added to golf for the 2028 Summer Olympics. This will consist of alternate shot and four-ball rounds.
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Olympic golf's history
Golf was first played at the Olympic Games in 1900 in Paris, France. It returned four years later at the 1904 Games in St. Louis, USA, which featured a men's individual tournament and a men's team competition. The 1904 tournament was the first and only team golf competition at the Olympics. Rather than golfers teaming up by nation, the competition featured teams of 10 from various regional golf associations around the United States. The gold medal was won by the Western Golf Association, which featured H. Chandler Egan as its top player.
Golf then took a 112-year hiatus from the Olympics, despite attempts to include it in the 1908 and 1920 Games. In 2009, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to reinstate the sport for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Olympic golf competitions in 2016 and 2020 featured men's and women's individual stroke play. Justin Rose of Great Britain won the men's gold medal in 2016, with Inbee Park of South Korea taking the women's title. Xander Schauffele of the United States won the men's gold medal in 2020, with Lydia Ko of New Zealand winning the women's.
In 2025, it was announced that a new mixed team event will be added to golf for the 2028 Summer Olympics. The event will consist of alternate shot and four-ball rounds, with 16 pairs drawn from those who have qualified for the Olympic tournaments.
Golf originated in Scotland, with the first rules of the game established in the Scottish city of St. Andrews in 1754. The essential rule of golf is that for each stroke, the player must play the ball as it lies and accept the course as they find it. The aim is to hit the ball with a club from the tee into the hole in as few strokes as possible.
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How Olympic golf qualification works
Golf made its return to the Olympic programme in 2016, over a century after its debut in 1900. The sport was also featured in the 1904 Olympics, but it was cancelled in 1908 and again in 1920 due to a lack of entries.
The Olympic Golf Competition consists of 72 holes of individual stroke play for both men and women, with four rounds scheduled over four consecutive days. Scores are cumulative from round to round, and the player with the lowest overall score wins.
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 limit of four players from a given country. Beyond the top 15, 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.
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 based on 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.
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Winners of Olympic golf tournaments
Golf was first introduced as an Olympic sport during the second edition of the modern Games in Paris in 1900. It returned for the 1904 Games in St. Louis, but then took a 112-year hiatus before returning for Rio 2016. The 1904 Games also featured the first and only team golf competition at the Olympics, with the Western Golf Association, a team of 10 from various regional golf associations around the United States, taking the gold medal.
Since its reintroduction, Olympic golf has consisted of men's and women's individual stroke play tournaments. The golfer with the lowest cumulative score at the end of the four rounds wins the gold medal.
At the 2016 Rio Games, Justin Rose of Great Britain took the gold medal in the men's tournament, with Sweden's Henrik Stenson and the US's Matt Kuchar taking silver and bronze, respectively. In the women's tournament, South Korea's Inbee Park won gold with a score of 16-under par, with New Zealand's Lydia Ko and China's Shanshan Feng taking silver and bronze, respectively.
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), Xander Schauffele of the US won the gold medal in the men's tournament, with the US's Nelly Korda mirroring his feat in the women's tournament. Japan's Mone Inami and New Zealand's Lydia Ko took silver and bronze, respectively.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Scottie Scheffler of the US and Lydia Ko of New Zealand won the gold medals in the men's and women's tournaments, respectively. Great Britain's Tommy Fleetwood took silver in the men's tournament, while Germany's Esther Henseleit and China's Xiyu Lin took silver and bronze, respectively, in the women's tournament.
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Olympic golf's future
Golf's Olympic future looks bright, with the sport set to feature in at least the next two Summer Olympics. The sport has come a long way since its debut in the 1900 Games, and after a long absence, it returned to the Olympics in 2016. The 2024 Paris Olympics has just concluded, with Scottie Scheffler of the USA and Lydia Ko of New Zealand taking home the gold in the men's and women's events, respectively. The 2028 Olympics will introduce a new mixed team event, adding a new dimension to the sport at the Games.
The 2032 Olympics will be held in Brisbane, with the golf competitions hosted at the Royal Queensland Golf Club. This will be the third Olympics for Brisbane, which previously hosted the Games in 1908, 1948, and 2012. The International Olympic Committee's decision to include golf in the 2032 Olympics ensures the sport's place in the Olympic programme for the foreseeable future.
Olympic golf competitions have featured men's and women's individual stroke play since their reintroduction. The competition format is similar to PGA and LPGA Tours, with 72 holes played over four days. The golfer with the lowest cumulative score wins gold, while second and third place receive silver and bronze, respectively. The field is restricted to 60 players for each of the men's and women's competitions, with qualification based on official world golf rankings.
While golf has a secure spot in the 2028 and 2032 Olympics, its inclusion beyond that is not guaranteed. The sport will not be part of the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar in 2026 but will be considered for future editions based on host locations and other criteria. Despite this, golf has become one of the biggest draws of the Olympics, attracting top players like Nelly Korda, the defending Olympic gold medalist, and Scottie Scheffler, the 2024 gold medalist.
The International Golf Federation (IGF) is the governing body for golf at the Olympics, and there have been calls for them to consider format changes. Suggestions include adding a match play tournament, opening up to more golfers, and potentially using a different qualifying system. These changes could further enhance the appeal of Olympic golf and ensure its longevity at the Games.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Olympic golf is an individual sport. Since its reintroduction in 2016, Olympic golf competitions have consisted of men's and women's individual stroke play.
The Olympic golf competition is similar to events on the PGA and LPGA Tours. It 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.
No, golf was first recognised as featuring in the Summer Olympic Games in 1900 and was also contested in the 1904 Summer Olympics. However, after 1904, Olympic golf competition fell off the radar until it was reinstated in 2009 ahead of the 2016 Summer Olympics.
