The IGF is recognized as the International Federation within the Olympic and Paralympic Movement and its Executive Director Antony Scanlon oversees the fulfilment of its responsibility and mission which is to:
Administer the statutes, practice and activities of golf as the recognized International Federation within the Olympic and Paralympic Movements. Represent golf within the Olympic and Paralympic movements and other international organisations and be a leading contributing partner. Encourage the international growth of golf. Organise the golf competitions at the Olympic Games, Youth Olympic Games, the World Amateur Team Championships, International and Regional Multi-sport events. Safeguard the integrity of golf and protect athletes from doping and the manipulation of competitions and ensure their health, safety and well-being. Practice equality, inclusiveness and a sustainable approach across all levels of the organisation and the staging of its events. The IGF consists of 151 member federations from 146 countries. Personnel on the IGF’s governance structure:
IGF OFFICIALS
NAME
NATIONALITY
HELD ROLE SINCE
President
Annika Sorenstam
United States of America
2021
Chair
Guy Kinnings
Great Britain
2024
Executive Director
Antony Scanlon
Australia
2010
Executive Board
Claudia Garduno
Mexico
2020
Hirayama Nobuko
Japan
2016
Will Jones
United States of America
2014
Mollie Marcoux Samaan
United States of America
2021
Jay Monahan
United States of America
2017
Martin Slumbers
Great Britain
2015
Kerry Haigh
United States of America
2018
Mike Whan
United States of America
2012
Golf in the Olympics
Since being admitted to the Olympic Games programme, the vast majority of IGF national federation membership have seen positive impact on participation for men, women and juniors. From the biggest names in the game to emerging talent, athletes from around the globe vie for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to represent their country and pursue Olympic glory on the grandest sporting stage in the world.
The Olympic golf competitions represent an opportunity to grow golf’s global fanbase. Qualifying athletes across the men’s and women’s Olympic golf competitions represent 38 different National Olympic Committees. The Olympic Games provide an opportunity to showcase golf through a larger audience and new global audiences, thus raising golf’s awareness and perception around the world.
With such a promising start, the hope and expectation for Olympic golf is it will have long-term impact on the sport’s growth and popularity throughout the world, with the biggest opportunity in developing golf countries.
As an Olympic sport, golf generally has received additional funding and/or resources in a number of countries, which will solidify a foundation for future growth and development, particularly in developing golf countries. The most common areas of support have been coaching, elite performance and junior golf development.
OLYMPIC GOLF HISTORY
2020: (Tokyo)
Men’s: Gold: Xander Schauffele (USA); Silver: Rory Sabbatini (Slovakia); Bronze: C.T. Pan (Chinese Taipei)
Women’s: Gold: Nelly Korda (USA); Silver: Mone Inami (Japan); Bronze: Lydia Ko (New Zealand)
2016 (Rio de Janeiro)
Men’s Gold: Justin Rose (Great Britain); Silver: Henrik Stenson (Sweden); Bronze: Matt Kuchar (USA)
Women’s: Gold: Inbee Park (Korea); Silver: Lydia Ko (New Zealand); Bronze: Shanshan Feng (China)
1904 (St. Louis)
Men’s: Gold: George Lyon (Canada); Silver: Chandler Egan (USA); Bronze: Burt McKinnie (USA) and Francis Newton (USA)
Women’s competition not held.
1900 (Paris)
Men’s: Gold: Charles Sands (USA); Silver: Walter Rutherford (Great Britain); Bronze: David Robertson (Great Britain)
Women’s: Gold: Margaret Abbott (USA); Silver: Pauline Whittier (USA); Bronze: Daria Pratt (USA)
FORMAT AND FREQUENTLY ASKES QUESTIONS
Where and when will the Olympic golf competition be held?
Both the men’s and women’s competitions will have fields of 60 athletes and be held at the Albatros Course of Le Golf National (LGN). The men’s competition will be contested as a par-71 (7,174 yards/6,557 metres), while the women’s competition will be contested as a par-72 (6,374 yards/5,829 metres). The club is located in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, 41 km from the Olympic Village. Owned and managed by the French Golf Federation, the venue was conceived as a permanent home for the annual FedEx Open de France tournament and as a national training facility. Opened on 5 October 1990, the course was designed by Hubert Chesneau and Robert Von Hagge and renovated in 2016 by European Golf Design (EGD) under Hubert Chesneau’s supervision in preparation for the 2018 Ryder Cup.
The men’s event will begin on Thursday, 1 August and run through Sunday, 4 August. The women’s competition will run from Wednesday, 7 August through Saturday, 10 August.
How many athletes will play in a group?
For all rounds, the intention is to play in groups of three athletes. For rounds 1 and 2, groupings will be published two days before the start of each respective event. For rounds 3 and 4, groupings will be done according to cumulative score at the end of the previous round, with the leaders (lowest cumulative scores) teeing off last. The lowest finishers at the end of such rounds will be grouped together. The remainder of the field will likewise be grouped in a similar sequence.
How are the fields determined?
The world rankings determine the field in the following way for both men and women:
The top-15 world-ranked athletes are eligible for the Olympics, with a limit of four athletes from a given country. Beyond the top-15, athletes are eligible based on the world rankings, with a maximum of two eligible athletes from each country that does not already have two or more athletes among the top-15. The host country is guaranteed a spot, as is each of the five continents of the Olympics.
How are medalists determined in case of a tie?
If two athletes are tied for the lead after 72 holes, a hole-by-hole playoff will be conducted to determine the gold and silver medals, or if three or more athletes are tied for the first position, a playoff will be conducted to determine the gold, silver and bronze medals. If two or more athletes are tied for the second position, a playoff will be conducted to determine the silver and bronze medals. If two or more athletes are tied for the third position, a playoff will be conducted for the bronze medal. In any case, only one gold, one silver and one bronze medal will be awarded.
Is there potential to add a mixed-team competition to the Olympic golf programme?
In January 2024, the IGF submitted a proposal to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to include a 36-hole team competition as part of the Olympic golf programme, beginning at The Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympics. The event could feature up to 16 teams playing one round of foursomes (alternate shot) and one round of four-ball (best ball). The teams would be selected from the 60 men and 60 women already qualified for individual play based on the Olympic Golf Ranking.
The mixed team event would be held on the Sunday and Monday between the men’s and women’s 72-hole individual tournaments. The proposal has been formally submitted by the IGF and is now awaiting a decision by the IOC, likely in early 2025.
What are the performance benefits for the men’s and women’s gold medalist?
Men’s
Exemptions into all major championships during the 2025 season Exemption into THE PLAYERS Championship 2025 Exemption into The Sentry 2025, provided the gold medalist is a member of the PGA TOUR at the time of his victory in the Olympic Golf competition Official World Golf Ranking points
Women’s
Exemptions into the 2024 AIG Women’s Open, 2025 Chevron Championship, 2025 U.S. Women’s Open, 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, 2025 Amundi Evian Championship One point towards the LPGA Hall of Fame Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking points
What does the onsite experience entail for fans at Le Golf National?
Le Golf National was built to be a natural amphitheater and each hole is surrounded by mounds and hills for perfect spectator viewing. There will be one main grandstand on Hole 18 with a seating capacity of 1,700. Paris 2024 has allotted 30,000 tickets per day and a sell-out is expected.
OLYMPIC GOLF STORYLINES
Xander Schauffele (USA) and Nelly Korda (USA) return to defend their gold medals. At Tokyo 2020, Team USA won both the men’s and women’s Olympic golf competitions, a feat Team USA accomplished once before, in 1900. Min Woo Lee (AUS) and Minjee Lee (AUS) will be the only brother-sister combination of competitors in the fields. Nearly half of the competitors in the Olympic golf competitions at Paris 2024 are first-time Olympians (53 of 120 across the men’s and women’s competitions) Thirty-eight countries will be represented during the men’s and women’s competitions, including 32 different NOCs for the men’s competition and 33 different NOCs for the women’s competition. Returning medalists include Xander Schauffele (gold medal at Tokyo 2020), C.T. Pan (bronze medal at Tokyo 2020), Nelly Korda (gold medal at Tokyo 2020) and two-time Olympic medalist Lydia Ko (silver medal at Rio 2016, bronze medal at Tokyo 2020). The fields for this year’s competitions are the strongest in the history of Olympic golf. In the men’s field, 10 of the top 15 athletes in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) are competing in the Olympic golf competition, including all top-five. In the women’s field, 13 of the top-15 ranked women in the current Rolex Rankings are competing in the Olympic golf competition.
STORYLINES FOR THE MEN’S OLYMPIC GOLF COMPETITION
Scottie Scheffler (USA) – the No. 1 male golfer in the world – is a first-time Olympian and has won six times in 2024 on the PGA TOUR. Frenchman Mattieu Pavon will compete in his first Olympics on his home soil after a career-changing season on the PGA TOUR that saw him claim his first TOUR title at the Farmers Insurance Open in January. His debut performance at Le Golf National came in 2016 at the FedEx Open de France (MC). Fellow Frenchman Victor Perez will also be making his debut at this year’s Olympics after earning PGA TOUR membership for the 2024 season. Tommy Fleetwood (GBR) has won at Le Golf National twice – the 2018 Ryder Cup team competition and the 2017 FedEx Open de France. Byeong Hun An’s (KOR) parents, Jae-Hyung Ahn (KOR – bronze) and Jiao Zhimin (CHN – silver and bronze) medaled in the 1988 Seoul Olympics in table tennis. Men competing in each of the last three Olympic golf competitions (4): Ryan Fox of New Zealand, Gavin Green of Malaysia, C.T. Pan of Chinese Taipei and Fabrizio Zanotti of Paraguay. 32 athletes will be competing for their first time. Five former Ryder Cup participants from the 2018 Ryder Cup winning European Team (Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, Alex Noren and Thorbjørn Olesen) will compete again at Le Golf National.
Youngest competitor: Tom Kim of Korea (22; born 21 June 2002).
STORYLINES FOR THE WOMEN’S OLYMPIC GOLF COMPETITION
Rolex Rankings No. 1 Nelly Korda (USA), who has six LPGA Tour wins in 2024 and tied the Tour record for wins in consecutive events (five), is set to defend her gold medal in her second Olympics. Lydia Ko of New Zealand is the only two-time medalist in the history of Olympic golf and has the opportunity to earn a third consecutive medal at this year’s Games. Ko captured the silver medal at Rio 2016 as a 19-year-old and followed it by earning a bronze medal at Tokyo 2020 at 23. A gold medal would also give Ko the final point needed for induction into the LPGA Hall of Fame; she enters the Games with 26 points, one point shy of the 27 required. Shannon Tan is the first golfer from Singapore to qualify for the Games. Aditi Ashok of India heads to Paris for her third Games. She was the youngest golf athlete at Rio 2016 (18 years old) and finished in 41st place with her father on the bag. At Tokyo 2020, she finished fourth, one spot outside a medal and only two shots from gold. She was in medal contention most of the final round with her mother serving as her caddie. Her success was highlighted by tweets from India’s President and Prime Minister. Women competing in their third consecutive Olympics (15): Aditi Ashok (India), Carlota Ciganda (Spain), Brooke Henderson (Canada), Lydia Ko (New Zealand), Minjee Lee (Australia), Xiyu Lin (China), Gaby Lopez (Mexico), Nanna Koerstz Madsen (Denmark), Leona Maguire (Ireland), Stephanie Meadow (Ireland), Azahara Munoz (Spain), Alena Sharp (Canada), Klara Davidson Spilkova (Czech Republic), Mariajo Uribe (Colombia) and Albane Valenzuela (Switzerland). Twenty-three athletes will be competing for their first time. Four mothers will compete in the women’s competition: Azahara Munoz (Spain), Mariajo Uribe (Colombia), Ursula Wikstrom (Finland) and Noora Komulainen (Finland). Mariajo Uribe (Colombia) is set to retire from professional golf following her appearance in Paris; she finished T19 in Rio 2016 and T50 in Tokyo 2020. Oldest competitor: Ursula Wikstrom of Finland (44; born 3 July 1980). Youngest competitor: Shannon Tan of Singapore; (20; born 9 April 2004). The field features 15 LPGA Tour major champions. There are six current and former women World No. 1s in the field: Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu, Jin Young Ko, Ruoning Yin, Atthaya Thitikul and Lydia Ko.
ATHLETES BY COUNTRY:
MEN
WOMEN
TOTAL
NOC
ATHLETES
NOC
ATHLETES
NOC
ATHLETES
ARG
2
AUS
2
ARG
2
AUS
2
AUT
2
AUS
4
AUT
1
BEL
1
AUT
3
BEL
2
CAN
2
BEL
3
CAN
2
CHN
2
CAN
4
CHI
2
COL
1
CHI
2
CHN
2
CZE
2
CHN
4
COL
2
DEN
2
COL
3
DEN
2
ESP
2
CZE
2
ESP
2
FIN
2
DEN
4
FIN
2
FRA
2
ESP
4
FRA
2
GBR
2
FIN
4
GBR
2
GER
2
FRA
4
GER
2
IND
2
GBR
4
IND
2
IRL
2
GER
4
IRL
2
ITA
1
IND
4
ITA
2
JPN
2
IRL
4
JPN
2
KOR
3
ITA
3
KOR
2
MAR
1
JPN
4
MAS
1
MAS
1
KOR
5
MEX
2
MEX
2
MAR
1
NED
2
NED
1
MAS
2
NOR
2
NOR
2
MEX
4
NZL
2
NZL
1
NED
1
PAR
1
PHI
2
NOR
4
POL
1
RSA
2
NZL
3
PUR
1
SGP
1
PAR
1
RSA
2
SLO
2
PHI
2
SUI
1
SUI
2
POL
1
SWE
2
SWE
2
PUR
1
THA
2
THA
2
RSA
4
TPE
2
TPE
2
SGP
1
USA
4
USA
3
SLO
2
SUI
3
SWE
4
THA
4
TPE
4
USA
7
TOTAL MEN
60
TOTAL WOMEN
60
TOTAL NOC: 38
TOTAL ATHLETES: 120
KEY QUOTES
2024 Olympics Athletes Quotes (Men’s Competition)
July 2024
RORY MCILROY (IRL): I really enjoyed the experience (in Tokyo) and I’m sure Paris will be even better because I’ll get to go to some of the other events. I am excited to go back. I would be unbelievably proud to get any medal in Paris. A gold medal would be one of the proudest moments of my career.
TOM KIM (KOR): I’ll be excited to go to the Olympics. I never really had the opportunity as a kid to represent my country as an amateur. I got to play the French Open last year, so I know the course pretty well, and hopefully I’ll have a chance.
LUDVIG ÅBERG (SWE): I remember watching it growing up and I remember watching Usain Bolt run the 100 meters and Michael Phelps winning the millions of medals that he’s got. It was very cool. I think just the experience of representing your country comes with a lot of pride, and it’s a feeling that I bet is going to be difficult to compare with. I definitely want to watch other sports while I’m there. I’m trying to do that. I’m going to stay in the Village at night, as well, to soak it in. I’m not sure I want to go in the gym because I’ll feel not as big. I definitely want to watch the athletics. I think for me, that’s Olympics a little bit. That’s what I remember growing up and watching and the high jump or 400 meters and all these things.
JASON DAY (AUS): You know, when it first came about, I think in 2016, I was No. 1 in the world at the time. I really didn’t have any plans on playing the Olympics because it was never on the radar. You’re torn between two worlds. Hey, the media is asking what it’s like to be an Olympian. I’m like, I’ve never really wanted to play in the Olympics because golf was never part of the Olympics, not until early 1900s, so it’s just never something I ever thought about. I love watching the Olympics. But now, kind of looking back — I spoke about it last week. Looking back on it, I probably should have gone to Rio and played. I think it’s something bigger than yourself. You’re actually representing your country and your sport. As an Australian, the Olympics is a big thing because we’re a big sporting nation. To get another turn at it I feel very grateful for it. The travel is going to be kind of back and forth. I’m going to go Open Championship, back for a week, and fly back over. So, the time zones and shifts will be a little bit tough. I am not going to the opening ceremony but will treat it like a normal tournament and try and get over there and win a medal. It would be nice. That is always a goal. But looking forward to representing Australia, first and foremost. I have represented Australia at every level, junior and amateur and obviously now I get to represent Australia at its highest level as an Olympian.
June 2024
COREY CONNERS (CAN): It’s really amazing. After experiencing playing in Tokyo, there were definitely some restrictions, but it was a really proud moment, a really cool moment to represent your country. I was really motivated to make the team in Paris. You get the full Olympic experience; you get to be around some other athletes and do some other things I wouldn’t normally get to do.
CHRISTIAAN BEZUIDENHOUT (RSA): It’s a huge honor representing our country in anyway. The Olympics is one of the highest levels what we can play. It is an unbelievable experience. Hopefully I can bring back a medal for South Africa.
WYNDHAM CLARK (USA): Last year had one of the greatest honors in representing our country. I love this country, and to wear the red, white, and blue was such an honor. The Ryder Cup is probably the biggest stage in golf for an American to play. The Olympics is the biggest for sports and has been for thousands of years. Now that golf is in the Olympics, I think that trumps that. I’m just so excited. I’m through the roof that I get to go and represent our country in Paris, and hopefully I’m up there on the podium.
XANDER SCHAUFFELE (USA): Yeah, it’s super special. It’s always an honor to represent your country in any given tournament or event, so it was a really cool thing I was able to share with my family after winning the gold medal. Qualifying was my first goal this year, it’s a very hard team to qualify for, as you guys have seen on this U.S. side. That was a really big goal of mine to get back and really looking forward to competing again.
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER (USA): It’s very special. Any time you’re able to represent your country – wearing the flag is something that very few people get to experience and I’m very proud to be going across and representing the USA at the Olympics. And I’m very grateful, that’s something that I’ve been looking forward to for a long time and was hoping to be able to be a part of that team. It will be very special going over there and competing with the other three guys and hopefully we’ll be able to bring home some medals for the USA. Be a nice little thing to be able to trash talk to my buddies about when they say golfers aren’t athletes. I can claim I’m an Olympian.
VIKTOR HOVLAND (NOR): I’m pretty pumped. Playing in the Olympics in Tokyo was pretty fun, even though it was during COVID, and no fans were out there. We got to stay in the Olympic Village and be a part of the experience, so that was fun, and I’m pretty pumped to do it again. I’ve never been to Le Golf National. I’ve heard lots of good stuff about the golf course and obviously watching the Ryder Cup there a few years ago, it looks like a great spot. Hoping for some hardware for team Norway.
COLLIN MORIKAWA (USA): Tokyo was a very different Olympics; I think everyone would agree with that. Still, any time you have the opportunity to represent your country, you want it, especially knowing how tough it was to make the U.S. team. I think Team USA are going to do a lot of practice rounds together as we did in Tokyo. At the end of the day, yeah, it is still an individual competition. It would be cool if there was a team aspect. But when it comes down to it on Thursday, it’s our event, it’s our own individual event.
April 2024
XANDER SCHAUFFELE (USA): The Olympics, for me personally, are so different due to my dad and the way he brought me up, the advice he was giving me and where that came from with him wanting to be an Olympian himself. It’s unique, but different than other people competing in the Olympics just because I was sort of raised on the advice from a person who wanted to be an Olympian. Tokyo was an unbelievable experience, and we are going to feel more of it this year, with fans being available to attend.
NICOLAI HØJGAARD (DEN): It’s something I really want to do, qualify for the Olympics. I played the Junior Olympics back in ’18 and it was pretty cool. Playing the real one will be fun. Denmark is an Olympic country; it means so much to Denmark to potentially have some medals. As a golfer you probably don’t think about it too much, about an Olympic medal, but to potentially be the first one in Denmark to achieve that would be something really cool. It would mean a lot to myself, but also for Denmark as a nation. Everyone’s career in Denmark in every sport is almost looked at from an Olympic side and medals mean a lot in Denmark, so that would be pretty cool. I watched a lot of 100‑meter sprint, 200‑meter, Usain Bolt dominating in Jamaica, I remember that a lot. And then watching handball, Denmark has always been a great handball nation and we won the Olympics back in 2016, so I was watching that and seeing the impact that had in Denmark as well and the Olympic medalists is something now we have a chance in golf to have a big impact. I think a medal in golf could really change, have a positive impact in Danish golf.
March 2024
STEPHAN JAEGER (GER): I’m super excited about the opportunity to play for Germany in the Olympics … it’s definitely on my calendar, and something that I could tell everybody about for the rest of my life. I skipped Tokyo a couple years ago because I was in a hard spot in my career. It is a great honor obviously. I heard that golf course is pretty pure and hard, so I’m excited. For Germans, the Winter Olympics is more our deal, the bobsled and all that kind of stuff. We grew up watching that and the biathlon. Golf was never really in the realm of things to be able to do. When they changed it, I thought ‘this would be cool, I could be an Olympic athlete.’
2024 Olympics Athlete Quotes (Women’s Competition)
July 2024
NELLY KORDA (USA): I’m so excited. Any time I get to represent my country it’s just such a really big honor. To do that at the Olympics is going to be an amazing experience again. This year I’m hoping to watch a couple sports which we didn’t get to do in Tokyo. It’s a little sad my sister won’t be here. I think that was — that’s what was so special about 2021, was getting to share that experience with Jess. I’m just really excited to represent the USA at the Olympics again. (My medal) has its own shelf in my office. I have a plaque that I think Greg made for me, Nasa’s caddie, with the rings and Tokyo mark along with my badge and a couple other things. My majors are on one shelf and then the Olympics has its own shelf too. I’ve never been to Paris. I’ve flown through Paris, so I am excited to get to see Paris and be a little bit of a tourist if I have some time. I’m definitely going to go watch the guys on the final day and root on the U.S. and get to watch the guys that I grew up idolizing and watch every day on TV.
NELLY KORDA (USA): For me, I grew up never really being able to — never knowing if I was going to be able to compete in the Olympics. It was never really a dream for me because it was never a reality until 2016 when golf was introduced back into the Olympics. It was just something every four years or even two years. We did love watching the Winter Games. Winning the gold, that’s one thing, but even just being an Olympian and being able to compete in the Olympics is such a big honor. It’s only the girls in our family that hold that honor. Whenever I bring it around my friends and family they’re always amazed, and they’re really moved by the gold medal because they’ve never even seen it up close. Just seeing that impact of people being amazed and wowed by the gold medal has been really cool.
NELLY KORDA (USA): The final round was just a complete rush of emotions. I was on No. 17 Sunday when there was a rain delay. We were called in. There were just so many emotions going through me as I was tied for the lead at that time. When I finally stood on that podium, it was a complete rush I’ve never felt in my entire life … seeing my country’s flag go up. I realized, ‘wow, I just won an Olympic gold medal … everyone I watched on TV who got to stand on the podium, that’s what I’m doing right now.’ I had a couple tears fall down my face. I think after the tensions that you go through and the adrenaline you go through throughout the entire day, when that last putt goes in, there is a release. I know that my WHOOP said the highest heart rate I had that day was on the podium.
NELLY KORDA (USA): It’s really cool how everyone trades the pins at the Olympics. It’s like the little things you don’t get to do every week, just the camaraderie between the countries, too. I still have that badge with all my pins right next to my medal.
NELLY KORDA (USA): As for the Mixed Team concept, while I would want to keep the individual part of it, I agree adding the team component. I think that would be fun. In the sense, it’s just like a regular even; with the Olympics being every four years and being so special, it would be nice to see maybe something new that is not played at all.
LILIA VU (USA): Becoming an Olympian means the world. I’m never going to stop trying my best. Representing United States again, that’s just the biggest honor there is for an American. We’re staying in Versailles, so super excited for that. I am also trying to go see the gymnastics. I think my dad wanted to watch table tennis, so I might go with him. There are so many sports, so many athletes from different countries, and hopefully I meet some people out there.
AMY YANG (KOR): It’s a dream come true, and playing in the Olympics is huge honor for me. You’re not just playing for yourself; you’re playing for your country. A lot of fans will root for Jin Young, Hyo Joo and me, so I’m going to make sure to prepare really well and do my best. I’ve been to the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, and it was so cool. I got to see all the equipment and history. It just gave me more motivation to prepare well and look forward to the tournament.
ROSE ZHANG (USA): The opportunity to make the team was almost mind boggling because I watched the Olympics ever since I was an itty-bitty person. I watched all the different events, gymnastics, swimming, track and field, and now calling myself an Olympian – it was not something I’ve ever thought about before just because it was so far into the future. You know, I was a junior golfer and people would joke about oh, like do you want to play in the Olympics in the future. But there is only one every four years, so it’s not something that you think about often. To represent the country, put on the red, white, and blue at the Olympics, it’s going to be a pretty surreal experience. Yeah, I hope I can see a couple different sports, couple different events. I may arrive a day or two prior and just enjoy myself. The Olympics is a special time, and to soak in the experience also involves interacting with other athletes and seeing how they’re performing or competing.
CELINE BOUTIER (FRA): Being an Olympian is hard to describe. It is an honor to represent your country. I try to represent week in and week out on Tour, but it’s something different when you have the flag on your shirt and hat. The Games almost feels like a team event because you feel like all the athletes are part of a team together and you’re representing the whole country. It’s something very special. Something I cherished a lot as an amateur so having that opportunity again as a professional is very rare and I don’t take for granted. I am also very excited to showcase the French golf course, French athletes, and just the city in general for the Olympics.
ANNE van DAM (NED): I grew up as a swimmer, so the Olympics was the highest thing you could achieve. When golf was introduced back to the Olympics – it’s such an amazing stage to showcase the game. To represent the Netherlands, it is amazing, and being in Europe, a lot of family and friends will be there.
PATTY TAVATANAKIT (THA): Every athlete from every sport wants to represent their country in the Olympics.
HANNAH GREEN (AUS): I have been playing well this year, so I do have expectations and I want to get a gold medal. I want to have a podium finish, so I want to do everything that I can from Saturday through Wednesday to get myself ready and play as well as I can. I never really imagined when I first started playing golf that I would ever become a professional golfer, let alone an Olympian. Watching it on TV as a kid, regardless of if I wasn’t playing golf at the time, to imagine me on the TV now competing for Australia, it really is a big honor. All of us, as much as we want to do well for ourselves, we want to bring back a medal for Australia. Because it’s rarer, I think it would have to be probably higher than a major. I’ve always considered the Aussie Open like a major championship in that sense, but I think an Olympic gold would be bigger than a major.
