Jackson Reid
Golf has been included in the Olympic Games on several occasions, with a long history dating back to the early 20th century. The sport made its debut at the 1900 Summer Olympics and reappeared in 1904, with plans for subsequent tournaments in 1908 and 1920 that were ultimately cancelled due to disputes and a lack of entries. After a century-long absence, golf triumphantly returned to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and has since been featured in the 2020 Tokyo Games and the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics. The sport's inclusion has brought excitement, with 120 athletes expected to compete in Paris across men's and women's tournaments. Golf's Olympic format follows individual stroke play, with players aiming for the fewest strokes over 72 holes. The game's basic rules remain consistent with those outside the Olympics, with adaptations to break ties for medalists. The International Golf Federation governs Olympic golf, utilizing the Official World Golf Ranking for eligibility, with a maximum of four players per country.
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What You'll Learn
Golf's Olympic history
Golf has had a sporadic history as an Olympic sport. It is officially recognised as first featuring in the Summer Olympic Games programme in 1900, with 22 golfers competing, and was also contested in 1904 by 77 golfers. Albert Lambert was the only golfer to compete in both tournaments.
Golf was supposed to be included in the 1908 Games, but a dispute between representatives of England and Scotland over the format led to British golfers boycotting, leaving 1904 gold medallist George Lyon of Canada as the only entrant. Lyon was offered the gold medal but declined it. Two tournaments were planned for the 1920 Games, but these were cancelled due to a lack of entries.
After this, golf was absent from the Olympics for over a century, until it was reinstated for the 2016 Rio Games. The sport was also included in the 2020 Tokyo Games, where Xander Schauffele and Nelly Korda of the USA clinched gold medals.
Golf will be part of the 2024 Paris Olympics, with the men's tournament taking place from 1-4 August and the women's tournament following from 7-10 August. The venue will be Le Golf National, located in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, approximately 26 km outside Paris. The course has previously hosted the 2018 Ryder Cup, in which Europe defeated the US.
The sport will also feature in the 2028 Los Angeles Games, with a new mixed team event added.
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How Olympic golf rankings work
Golf was first recognised as a sport in the Summer Olympic Games programme in 1900 and was also contested at the 1904 Summer Olympics. However, it was discontinued until 2016 when it was brought back at the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics. The 2024 Olympic Golf competition will feature 120 athletes, with 60 players each in the men's and women's events.
The International Golf Federation (IGF) uses the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) to create the Olympic Golf Rankings (OGR) to determine eligibility. The top 15 world-ranked players are eligible for the Olympics, with a maximum of four players from a given country. After the top 15, players are selected based on the world rankings, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not have two or more players among the top 15.
The OGR is calculated every Monday following the completion of the previous week's tournaments worldwide 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. The ranking points for each player accumulate over a two-year "rolling" period, and the OGR is ordered according to the average points accumulated over this period.
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. In addition to the existing men's and women's individual tournaments, a mixed team event will be added to golf for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
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Rules of the game
Golf at the Olympic Games follows an individual stroke-play format, similar to events on the PGA and LPGA tours. The competition consists of 72 holes played over four days, with 18 holes played each day. Each hole has a par score, which is the number of shots a high-quality golfer should take to complete it. The player who completes the course with the fewest strokes wins.
Players are positioned on the leaderboard according to their score relative to par. Both the men's and women's tournaments consist of 60 players each, with a maximum of four players from a given country. The top 15 world-ranked players are eligible for the Olympics, with the remaining players selected based on the world rankings, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not have two or more players among the top 15.
Players can carry a maximum of 14 golf clubs in their bag during a round and are allowed to swap out clubs between rounds or if a club is damaged through no fault of their own. Caddies may accompany players on the course to carry their clubs and assist with strategy and club selection. Players play alongside each other in pairings or groupings and tee off in order according to how they finished the previous hole.
The first shot of each hole is called the tee shot, and players are allowed to elevate their ball using a small peg called a tee. Subsequent shots must be played "as the ball lies", which means that the ball must be played from where it lies on the course without moving or altering its position. Each hole ends on a closely mown surface called the green, where only the putter is allowed to be used. There are various hazards on the course, including bunkers, roughs, trees, and water hazards. If a player's ball goes into the water, they incur a penalty shot and must either drop the ball close to where it entered the water or play the shot again.
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Winners and highlights
Golf was first introduced to the Olympic Games in 1900 in Paris and featured again in the 1904 Games in St. Louis. However, after a dispute between representatives of England and Scotland in 1908, the sport was boycotted by British golfers and subsequently dropped from the Olympic programme. It made a brief return in 1920 but was cancelled due to a lack of entries.
Golf's modern Olympic history began in 2016 when it was reinstated for the Rio de Janeiro Games. The 2016 competition saw Justin Rose of Great Britain take gold in the men's tournament. In the women's tournament, American Nelly Korda won gold, mirroring her countryman Xander Schauffele's achievement in the men's tournament at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Schauffele shot in the 60s in all four rounds, including a second-round 63, which tied for the second-best round of the tournament. Korda also shot in the 60s in all four rounds, with a second-round 62, the best round of the competition.
The 2024 Olympic Golf competition will take place at Le Golf National, located just outside Paris in Guyancourt, France. The competition will consist of 120 athletes, with fields of 60 players each in the men's and women's events.
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Venues and dates
Golf has featured in the Olympic Games as far back as 1900, when it was first included in the Summer Olympics programme. It was also played at the 1904 Games, but then dropped from the Olympics until 2016, when it was reinstated for the Rio Games. Golf was also included in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and will be part of the Paris 2024 Games.
Golf at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris will be held at Le Golf National in Guyancourt, the venue for the 2018 Ryder Cup. The golf tournaments will run from 1 to 10 August, with the men's event taking place from 1 to 4 August and the women's event from 7 to 10 August. Le Golf National is located in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, 41 km from the Olympic Village. It is one of Europe's top golf courses, known for its links-inspired bunkers and undulating fairways, as well as water hazards on numerous holes.
The 2028 Summer Olympics will see the introduction of a new mixed team event in golf, consisting of 16 pairs drawn from those who have qualified for the individual tournaments.
Looking further ahead, golf will be part of the engagement programme for the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar in 2026, and the sport is expected to be included in the 2032 Olympic Games, hosted by Australia at the Royal Queensland Golf Club.
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Frequently asked questions
Golf first featured in the Summer Olympic Games in 1900 and was also contested in the 1904 Olympics. It was then removed as a competition and didn't return until 2016, when it was contested at the Rio Games.
Golf at the Olympic Games uses an individual stroke-play format, with both men's and women's tournaments comprised of four 18-hole rounds. The winner is the player who records the fewest total strokes to complete 72 holes.
Qualification is based primarily on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) and 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 will qualify.
