Miles Bennett
Golf was first included in the Olympic Games programme in 1900, and featured again in 1904 before being dropped from the Games for over a century. During this brief initial period, 98 golfers competed in the Olympics, and the only golfer to compete in both editions was Albert Lambert. In 2009, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to reinstate golf for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and it has featured in every Games since.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| First included in the Olympics | 1900 |
| Returned to Olympics after hiatus | 2016 |
| Number of golfers who competed in 1900 | 22 |
| Number of golfers who competed in 1904 | 77 |
| Total number of golfers who competed before hiatus | 98 |
| 1900 Olympic Games venue | Paris |
| 1904 Olympic Games venue | St. Louis |
| 1900 Olympic gold medalist | Charles Sands |
| 1904 Olympic gold medalist | George Lyon |
| 2016 Olympic gold medalists | Justin Rose (men's), Inbee Park (women's) |
| 2020 Olympic gold medalists | Xander Schauffele (men's), Nelly Korda (women's) |
| 2024 Olympic Games venue | Le Golf National, Guyancourt, Paris |
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What You'll Learn
Golf's Olympic history
Golf has a sporadic history as an Olympic sport. It first appeared in the Summer Olympics in 1900 in Paris, France, and featured 22 golfers. The inaugural golf tournament was won by Charles Sands of the USA, with Great Britain's Walter Rutherford taking silver, and David Robertson claiming bronze. This was the first Olympic Games to include women, and the only time before 2016 that women's golf was featured. Margaret Abbott from the USA won what she believed to be the Ladies' Championship of Paris, and it was only after her death in 1955 that it was acknowledged she was the USA's first female Olympic golf champion.
Golf returned for the 1904 Games in St. Louis, USA, with 77 golfers taking part. This tournament featured the first and only team golf competition at the Olympics, with teams of 10 from various regional golf associations across the USA. The gold medal was won by the Western Golf Association, which featured the top player, H. Chandler Egan. However, the 1904 tournament was also notable for a dispute between representatives of England and Scotland over the format, which led to British golfers boycotting the event. The 1908 Games were also impacted by this dispute, and the golf tournament was cancelled.
After a 112-year absence, golf returned to the Olympics in 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted in 2009 to reinstate the sport, with Olympic golf competitions consisting of men's and women's individual stroke play. Great Britain's Justin Rose won the men's gold, with Inbee Park of the Republic of Korea claiming the women's title.
Golf was also featured at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Xander Schauffele of the USA won the men's gold, with silver going to Rory Sabbatini of Slovakia and bronze to C.T. Pan of Chinese Taipei. In the women's tournament, USA's Nelly Korda took gold, Japan's Mone Inami won silver, and Lydia Ko of New Zealand claimed bronze.
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1900: Paris
Golf made its Olympic debut at the 1900 Summer Games in Paris, France. This was the second modern Olympic Games, and it featured a diverse range of sports, including golf. The golf competition took place at the Compiègne Club, located about an hour's drive north of Paris. The club had been established in 1896 by a group of British expatriates and was the first golf course built in France. The course was designed by Scottish golfer and course architect, Tom Dunn, and it presented a unique challenge for the competitors.
The 1900 Olympic golf tournament was a men's individual stroke play event, and it attracted a small but international field of players. There were 12 golfers in total, representing four countries: the United States, France, Greece, and Romania. While the field was predominantly male, it is worth noting that two women also competed in the event, making it one of the first Olympic sports to feature female participants. The American golfer Charles Sands won the gold medal, becoming the first-ever Olympic golf champion. He was followed by Walter Rutherford from Great Britain, who took silver, and the French golfer, David Robertson, who claimed bronze.
The inclusion of golf in the 1900 Olympics was part of Pierre de Coubertin's vision for the Games. De Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic movement, believed that golf embodied the values of sportsmanship and amateurism that he wanted the Olympics to promote. However, the 1900 Olympic golf tournament received relatively little attention at the time. This was partly due to the organization of the Paris Games, which spread events over several months and lacked a centralized venue, making it difficult for spectators to follow.
Despite the lack of fanfare, the 1900 Paris Olympics holds a significant place in golf's history. It marked the sport's introduction onto the world's biggest athletic stage and contributed to its growing global popularity. After its appearance in the 1900 and 1904 Games, golf would disappear from the Olympic program for over a century. It finally returned in 2016, with the men's and women's individual events taking place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Since then, golf has firmly re-established its place in the Olympic program, continuing to showcase the very best of the sport on a global stage.
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1904: St. Louis
Golf was featured at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri. This was the second time the sport was included in the Olympic Games, following its debut in 1900. The 1904 Games featured two golf events: a men's individual tournament and a men's team competition.
A new golf course, Glen Echo, was constructed specifically for the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis. The competitions took place from September 17 to September 24, 1904, and a total of 77 golfers from two nations participated. The majority of the golfers were from the United States, with only three golfers from Canada. The women's championship, which had been included in the 1900 Olympics, was notably absent from the 1904 Games and was replaced by the men's team event.
The men's individual event was won by George Lyon from Canada, who had only been practising golf for eight years. He defeated the favourite, 20-year-old American H. Chandler Egan, in the 36-hole final. Lyon's golfing style was described as more akin to that of a cricket athlete, and he went on to win eight Canadian Amateur Championships. The men's team competition was won by the Western Golf Association, which included Egan as its top player.
The 1904 Olympics in St. Louis faced challenges due to global tensions and the difficulty of travelling to Missouri, resulting in a lower attendance of top international athletes. Despite these obstacles, the golf tournament was a memorable part of the Games, with Lyon's unexpected victory and the unique format of the team event, which has not been repeated in subsequent Olympic golf competitions.
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2016: Rio de Janeiro
Golf made its return to the Olympic Games in 2016, 112 years after it was last played at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis. The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, featured two golf events: the men's and women's individual events. The new Olympic Golf Course, or Campo Olímpico de Golfe in Portuguese, was built within the Reserva de Marapendi in the Barra da Tijuca zone specifically for the Games. Qualification was based on world ranking as of 11 July 2016, with a total of 60 players qualifying in each of the men's and women's events. The top 15 players of each gender qualified, with a limit of four golfers per country. The remaining spots went to the highest-ranked players from countries that did not already have two qualified golfers.
In the men's event, Great Britain's Justin Rose clinched gold ahead of Sweden's Henrik Stenson. Rose had fired a third-round 65, which included two eagles, to take a slender one-stroke lead over his Ryder Cup teammate. The pair continued to trade birdies throughout an enthralling final day. By the time they reached the championship's 72nd hole, they were tied at 15-under, with the fight for the gold medal coming down to the 522-metre (571-yard) par-five 18th. Rose struck a superb pitch that spun and stopped just six feet from the hole. With Stenson missing from eight feet for par, Rose calmly sunk his birdie to become the first men's Olympic golf champion in 112 years.
In the women's event, the Republic of Korea's Inbee Park captured gold with a stunning performance. Trailing Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn by one stroke after the opening round, Park shot a second successive 66 to take a two-stroke lead over American Stacy Lewis in round two. An ecstatic Park said afterward, "I have won many tournaments, but I have never felt this before. I feel extremely honoured and proud to have won a gold medal in the Olympic Games. It's really incredible. I'm so happy to climb up to that top step of the podium."
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2020: Tokyo
Golf has had a sporadic history in the Olympics, first featuring in the 1900 Games, then in 1904, and then not again until 2016. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was therefore only the second time golf had been included in the Olympic Games since its return. The men's and women's competitions were held at Kasumigaseki Country Club, with 60 players in each competition.
In the men's tournament, American Xander Schauffele won the gold medal with a score of 266 (18-under par). Schauffele shot in the 60s all four rounds, including a second-round 63, which was the second-best round of the tournament. Schauffele's scores over the four days were 68, 63, 68, and 67. He scored a total of 21 birdies and two eagles.
In the women's tournament, Nelly Korda of the USA won the gold medal. She scored 67, 62, 69, and 69 over the four days, carding 23 birdies in total and one eagle. New Zealand's Lydia Ko and Japan's Mone Inami won the silver and bronze medals respectively, with Inami beating Ko in a playoff. Ko was the first person to win a medal in golf in back-to-back Olympic Games.
The men's bronze medal was also decided in a playoff, with seven players competing for the final spot on the podium.
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Frequently asked questions
Golf first appeared in the Olympics during the second edition of the modern Games in Paris, 1900.
Golf was most recently played at the Olympics in 2024 in Paris.
Golf was played at the Olympics in 1900 and 1904, and then took a 112-year hiatus before returning in 2016. It has also been played at the Olympics in 2020 and 2021.
Xander Schauffele of the United States won the gold medal in men's golf at the 2020 Olympics, held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nelly Korda of the United States won the gold medal in the women's golf tournament at the 2020 Olympics.
