Golf Preview
At this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, Team USA hopes to build on its 2016 performance, when Matt Kuchar earned the men’s bronze medal in golf’s return to the Olympic program for the first time since 1904.
The U.S. qualified the maximum of four players for both the men’s and women’s teams for Tokyo. In order to send the maximum four players, Team USA golfers had to rank in the top 15 of the Olympic Golf Ranking at the close of each qualification period. At the close of the men’s qualifying period on June 21 following the U.S. Open, Justin Thomas (2nd), Collin Morikawa (3rd), Xander Schauffele (4th) and Bryson DeChambeau all had secured their places. At the close of the women’s qualifying period on June 28 following the Women’s PGA Championship, Nelly Korda (1st), Danielle Kang (5th), Olympian Lexi Thompson (9th) and Jessica Korda (13th) qualified on the women’s side.
Seven of these eight players will be first-time Olympians. All four men’s players are new and only Thompson returns from the 2016 Rio Games on the women’s side. At the Olympic debut of golf back in 1900, the U.S. won the gold medal in both men’s and women’s and remains the all-time medal leader with nine total medals.
Like most professional golf tournaments, the Olympic competition consists of 72 holes of stroke play over four rounds. Both the men’s and women’s tournaments are contested by 60 players. Ties for any medals are decided by a three-hole playoff.
Updated on July 11, 2021. For more information, contact the sport press officer here.