Tag: Le Golf National

How is Rory McIlroy prepping for the Paris Olympics? Playing the Old Course

Every golfer has different ways of preparing for the Olympics. 

Every golfer has different ways of preparing for the Olympics.

Ben An went home to Florida while Tom Kim stayed in London. Scottie Scheffler vacationed a bit in France and has been enjoying the Olympic experience and Paris with his family.

For Rory McIlroy, his prep involves the home of golf.

McIlroy was one of the favorites two weeks ago at Royal Troon before missing the cut, and video surfaced Monday of him playing the Old Course at St. Andrews only 72 hours before he’s set to tee it up for Ireland in the Olympic games at Le Golf National in Paris.

The men’s golf competition is set to begin Thursday at the site of the 2018 Ryder Cup. McIlroy went 2-3-0 in Paris that year with the Europeans coming out on top.

It’s nothing new for McIlroy to show up to events only a couple of days before they begin. It’s something he has done numerous times this year, including major championship weeks.

He even had some fun with some inebriated fans near the clubhouse.

McIlroy finished T-4 in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and was a part of the seven-man playoff for bronze, which C.T. Pan eventually claimed.

Mona Lisa, table tennis and more: Scottie Scheffler relishing Olympic experience in Paris

“It’s definitely a different vibe this week.”

Scottie Scheffler has been a busy man the last few days.

He and his wife, Meredith, along with son Bennett, explored Paris on Saturday, including a stop at the famous Louvre museum. They also saw the Mona Lisa.

On Sunday, Scheffler went to the table tennis competition, and he plans to attend gymnastics Tuesday. All of this in the midst preparing for his first Olympics golf competition.

“Obviously my biggest priority is showing up ready to play this week, but I definitely want to experience a little bit of the Olympics,” Scheffler said, “but it’s definitely been fun, being part of the Olympics, and it’s definitely a different vibe this week.”

Scheffler said come Wednesday, it’s all business as he, along with Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark, represent Team USA in the Paris Olympics. The men’s golf competition, featuring 60 golfers from across the globe, will take place at Le Golf National, site of the 2018 Ryder Cup, beginning Thursday.

As for the No. 1 golfer in the world, he’s one of the favorites, along with Schauffele, the defending gold medalist and winner of two majors this year, including two weeks ago in the Open Championship at Royal Troon.

And Scheffler would be more than willing to don the gold medal come Sunday afternoon.

“It would be very special to have the gold medal,” Scheffler said. “It’s definitely one of the reasons why I’m here this week. I didn’t come here to — I love going to watch table tennis yesterday but that’s not why I showed up.

“I try to place an equal amount of value to all the tournaments I play. I feel like that any time I show up, I’m trying to do my best, and that’s definitely the case this week. It’s definitely special to be part of the Olympics and I’m looking forward to the chance to compete for a medal for our country.”

Scheffler has six wins this season, including the Masters, and he has grown to become one of the faces of professional golf since bursting onto the scene with his stellar 2022 season.

His fame is worldwide, too. Although he said nothing too crazy happened, he said people have recognized him in Paris and from time to time come up for a picture or autograph.

One of the most memorable moments of his time in Paris thus far was the Louvre.

“As we were walking around, I felt like we saw 1/10th of the museum at most. We were there for two hours and I felt like I could have been there for days exploring around looking at all the old paintings,” he said. “I would say the paintings were something that really took me back. It was pretty wild how big they were and how talented people were back then, and also how long they preserved them for as long as they have.

“I can get pretty interested in that kind of stuff just standing there reading the descriptions of all the stuff and the images, and it was definitely a fun few hours.”

Scheffler said he played 18 holes Sunday and another nine Monday, his first times at the course. He watched footage from the 2018 Ryder Cup, and his caddie, Ted Scott, has experience at the venue from that competition.

When it comes to the golf, Scheffler isn’t worried about how he can perform on the course. When it comes to being an Olympic athlete in another sport?

“I think at one time I would have considered the table tennis that we played elite, and I’m pretty sure it’s far from it,” Scheffler said after watching the competition Sunday. ”

“Could I be a multi-sport athlete in the Olympics? I don’t think so. But sometimes I have irrational self-confidence, and maybe if I really put my mind to it.”

Olympic golf: Dates, times, format, how to watch on Golf Channel, USA, Peacock

For the third time since being reinstated, there will be men’s and women’s golf at the Olympics.

For the third time since being reinstated, there will be men’s and women’s golf at the Olympics.

With gold medals and national pride on the line, there are 60 men and 60 women heading to Paris. The American contingent is made up of Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa as well as Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu and Rose Zhang.

Each competition will be a 72-hole, stroke-play tournament with gold, silver and bronze medals awaiting the top three finishers in each.

Le Golf National, host of the 2018 Ryder Cup, will host both competitions.

The men’s golf competition is up first, Aug. 1-4, then the women go Aug. 7-10. Golf Channel and USA have the TV coverage with Peacock streaming it all.

How to watch

Thursday, Aug. 1

Men’s competition, first round, 3 a.m. ET, Golf Channel, Peacock

Friday, Aug. 2

Men’s competition, second round, 3 a.m. ET, Golf Channel, Peacock

Saturday, Aug. 3

Men’s competition, third round, 3 a.m. ET, Golf Channel, Peacock

Sunday, Aug. 4

Men’s competition, final round, 3 a.m. ET, Golf Channel, Peacock

Men’s competition, final round, 2 p.m. ET, USA, Peacock

Golf Olympics
Dutch golfer Lauren Holmey poses at the Publicis terrace with La Defense district and Arc de Triomphe in the background in Paris on March 29, 2024, ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic games. (Stefano Rellandini/AFP via Getty Images)

Wednesday, Aug. 7

Women’s competition, first round, 3 a.m. ET, Golf Channel, Peacock

Thursday, Aug. 8

Women’s competition, second round, 3 a.m. ET, Golf Channel, Peacock

Friday, Aug. 9

Women’s competition, third round, 3 a.m. ET, Golf Channel, Peacock

Saturday, Aug. 10

Women’s competition, final round, 3 a.m. ET, Golf Channel, Peacock

Previous medalists

2021

Men

Gold – Xander Schauffele, USA

Silver – Rory Sabattini, Slovakia

Bronze – C.T. Pan, Chinese Taipei

Women

Gold – Nelly Korda, USA

Silver – Mone Inami, Japan

Bronze – Lydia Ko, New Zealand

2016

Men

Gold – Justin Rose, England

Silver – Henrik Stenson, Sweden

Bronze – Matt Kuchar, USA

Women

Gold – Inbee Park, Korea

Silver – Lydia Ko, New Zealand

Bronze – Shanshan Feng, China

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2024 Olympics golf: Here are 5 things to know before players hit the first tee in Paris

Since the Olympics aren’t on an organized tour, many fans might not know what to expect.

Golf in the Summer Olympics might not quite rise to the level of importance of the major championships for either men or women professionals. After all, golf is still a relatively new sport in the Summer Games, and for many professional golfers, it simply adds complications to their schedules.

But for fans of the Olympics, or just fans of some of the top players in the world gathering for competition, Olympic golf is back. The men will play first in the Summer Games in Paris next week, with the women’s event the following week. Fans in Southern California can already look forward to the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, when golf will be played at historic Riviera Country Club.

More: USA Today’s 2024 Olympics hub

But since the Olympics aren’t an event on an organized tour, and because the Summer Games come around once every four years, many golf fans might not know what to expect in the next two weeks. So here are a few things you need to know about golf in the Olympics:

The field

2023 Women's PGA Championship
Brooke Mackenzie Henderson looks on at the 5th hole during the third round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

The Olympics have 60 golfers in the field, both for men and women. The players are determined by the Official World Golf Rankings for men and the Rolex World Rankings for women. No country can have more than four golfers in the field in order to make the 60-player field more representative of the world.

So the top four Americans in the rankings when the field was closed – Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark – will play for the gold medal. This makes for a field that is not the strongest possible field – for instance U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau and world No. 8 Patrick Cantlay are not in the field – but one that allows the most countries to be represented. American women playing next week will be Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu and Rose Zhang.

Meet the 60 players who qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympic women’s golf competition in Paris

Meet the 60 players who qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympic men’s golf competition in Paris

The competition

Olympics: Golf-Mens
Hideki Matsuyama of Japan tees off on the tenth hole during the final round of the men’s individual stroke play of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Kasumigaseki Country Club. Photo by Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

A sticking point for some critics is that the format for Olympic golf is straightforward 72 holes of stroke play with no cut.

That tends to make the Olympics look like many other tournaments you might see week to week on any number of tours around the world. The top three players after 72 holes will receive the gold, silver and bronze medals.

The men’s event begins Thursday, Aug. 1 and the women’s event begins Aug. 8. There is already talk of a mixed team format being added for 2028.

Here’s what the United States golf teams will wear at the 2024 Olympics in Paris

The course

Early morning preparations are made prior to the 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National on September 27, 2018, in Paris, France. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

Le Golf National is certainly no stranger to the best players in the world. It is the annual site of the French Open on the DP World Tour, a task it was specifically designed for in 1991.

In addition, it was the host of the 2018 Ryder Cup between the United States and Europe. It can measure up to 7,331 yards with a par of 72.

LIV golfers in the field

2021 Olympics
Poland’s Adrian Meronk tees off from the 1st tee in round 1 of the men’s golf individual stroke play during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Kasumigaseki Country Club. (Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP via Getty Images)

Since the Olympics uses the world ranking to determine its field, and LIV golfers can be ranked, then it makes sense that some LIV players will be in the Olympics.

After all, this isn’t a PGA Tour or DP World Tour event, but an event put together by the International Golf Federation.

In all, seven LIV golfers will be in the field, though that won’t include some big names like DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka, who were eliminated by the rankings and the four-play rule for countries.

These are the 7 LIV Golf players who will compete at 2024 Olympics

Past champions

Nelly Korda of Team United States celebrates with the gold medal at the victory ceremony after the final round of the Women’s Individual Stroke Play on day fifteen of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Kasumigaseki Country Club on August 07, 2021 in Kawagoe, Japan. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

When the Olympics included golf once again in 2016 in Brazil, the winner was Justin Rose of England, with Henrik Stenson of Sweden taking the silver and Matt Kuchar of the United States taking the bronze.

Perhaps it says something that eight years later, none of the medalists in Rio de Janeiro are in the field in Paris.

Men’s medalists in Japan in 2020 (actually held in 2021 because of the pandemic) were Xander Schauffele with the gold, Rory Sabbatini, who represented Slovakia, with the silver and C.T. Pan of Taiwan winning a playoff for the bronze. Schauffele and Pan are back in the field in Paris.

In women’s golf, Inbee Park of South Korea, Lydia Ko of New Zealand and Shanshan Feng of China won gold, silver and bronze in Brazil, with only Ko back in the field this year. In 2020, Korda won the gold, Mone Iname of Japan took silver and Ko became the first two-time medal winner in the return of the sport to the Olympics with a bronze medal.

Here’s what the United States golf teams will wear at the 2024 Olympics in Paris

What do you think of these fits?

The 2024 Olympics kicked off Friday with the opening ceremony in Paris, France. Next week, the men’s golf competition will get underway on August 1. The following week, the women tee of on August 7. The host venue is Le Golf National.

For the United States men’s team, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and Wydham Clark will don the red, white and blue. On the women’s side, Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu and Rose Zhang will represent Team USA.

Earlier this year, J. Lindeberg was announced as the official apparel partner for the U.S. teams.

Viktor Hovland wears J. Lindeberg every week on the PGA Tour and he’s gone viral several times for his vibrant outfits.

Here’s a look at what the Americans will wear in Paris.

Joost Luiten added to Olympic reallocation list, not officially back in field

The men’s competition is set for Aug. 1-4 at Le Golf National in Paris.

The roller coaster ride of Joost Luiten trying to play in the Paris Olympics continued Saturday.

Luiten originally qualified for the men’s golf competition at the Olympics before the Dutch Olympic Committee-Dutch Sports Federation denied his spot because he did not meet its criteria.

Luiten then went to court and won, saying he should be allowed to compete. The problem was, the International Olympic Committee already filled his spot.

The International Golf Federation requested the IOC expand the field to 61 players to allow Luiten to play. While that was denied, the IGF said Saturday Luiten was added to the reallocation list.

“The International Golf Federation recognises an error was made by the Dutch NOC-NSF with its qualification criteria and subsequently during the confirmation process for men’s Olympic golf qualifier Joost Luiten,” the IGF’s statement said. “This error was confirmed via legal process, though only after the field for the men’s Olympic golf competition was finalized pursuant to the IGF’s published qualification procedures.”

Olympics: Meet the 60 men’s players in the field

Luiten’s only chance to compete in the games would be if another player withdraws, depending on their country.

Darius van Driel and Dewi Weber were two other Dutch athletes who earned spots in the Paris games but had their spots taken away because of the NOC-NSF decision saying the committee didn’t believe they could finish in the top eight.

The men’s competition is set for Aug. 1-4 at Le Golf National in Paris.

Hot take? Wyndham Clark says Olympics is bigger deal than the Ryder Cup: ‘Coolest team I’ve ever made, for sure’

“This probably ranks as the coolest team I’ve ever made, for sure.”

Thanks to three wins in less than a year — 2023 Wells Fargo Championship, 2023 U.S. Open and 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am — world No. 5 Wyndham Clark is set to represent the United States in the Olympics from August 1-4 at Le Golf National in Paris. The course that opened in 1990 previously hosted the Ryder Cup in 2018, an event won by the Europeans 17½-10½.

Clark, who is currently playing in the PGA Tour’s final signature event of the season, the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, told the media Thursday that he thinks the Olympics is “probably even bigger than” the Ryder Cup.

“The Ryder Cup in golf is kind of the biggest thing, but now that golf’s in the Olympics, it’s probably even bigger than that, because you’re representing your country at such a bigger level,” Clark said. “Hopefully, all four of us can go and try to snag some podium spots and give medals to the U.S. to try to win that total medal count. But, yeah, it’s pretty awesome. This probably ranks as the coolest team I’ve ever made, for sure.”

2023 Ryder Cup
Team USA golfer Wyndham Clark reacts after a putt on the 12th green during day one fourballs round for the 44th Ryder Cup golf competition at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club. (Photo: Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports)

Clark has represented the U.S. twice in his career: the 2014 Arnold Palmer Cup and 2023 Ryder Cup.

Joining Clark at the Olympics will be world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, No. 3 Xander Schauffele and No. 7 Collin Morikawa.

Olympic golf schedule: Dates, format for men’s, women’s competitions in Paris

Golf is back in the Olympics for a third time since being reinstated.

The world’s top golfers will head to Paris in July for a chance to win a gold medal. The 2024 Paris Olympics will mark the third time golf is in the program since returning in 2016.

This year, golf’s fourth and final men’s major – the Open Championship – is not the last big tournament those golfers will play in. The Open is July 18-21. The Paris Games begin on July 26 with the men’s golf tournament roughly one week after the Opening Ceremony and the women’s tournament the following week. The LPGA’s last tournament before Paris is the Portland Classic, Aug. 1-4.

Each competition is a four-day affair using stroke-play rules with gold, silver and bronze medals awaiting the top three finishers in each.

In 2024, Team USA will be looking to defend both, as Xander Schauffele and Nelly Korda took home the gold last time around.

The men’s tournament will run from Thursday to Sunday the first week of August, while the women’s competition will start on the following Wednesday and end on Saturday.

Olympics 2024: Paris Games golf course

Le Golf National – a course in Guyancourt, a commune near Versailles – will host both competitions. It hosts the French Open each year and hosted the Ryder Cup in 2018.

Olympics 2024: Qualifying for Paris Games

There are 60 players play in each competition. The top of the field for each is made up of the top 15 world ranked players – as of June 17 for men and June 24 for women – with a limit of four top 15 golfers per country. The remaining 45 competitors in each tournament are other top players awarded at-large bids, though each country has a two-player limit for these at-large bids.

Olympics 2024: Men’s golf schedule for Paris Games

Round 1: Thursday, August 1

Round 2: Friday, August 2

Round 3: Saturday, August 3

Round 4: Sunday, August 4

Olympics 2024: Women’s golf schedule for Paris Games

Round 1: Wednesday, August 7

Round 2: Thursday, August 8

Round 3: Friday, August 9

Round 4: Saturday, August 10

Previous medalists

2020

Men

Gold – Xander Schauffele, USA

Silver – Rory Sabattini, Slovakia

Bronze – C.T. Pan, Chinese Taipei

Women

Gold – Nelly Korda, USA

Silver – Mone Inami, Japan

Bronze – Lydia Ko, New Zealand

2016

Men

Gold – Justin Rose, England

Silver – Henrik Stenson, Sweden

Bronze – Matt Kuchar, USA

Women

Gold – Inbee Park, Korea

Silver – Lydia Ko, New Zealand

Bronze – Shanshan Feng, China

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Why Bryson DeChambeau won’t be on USA Olympic golf team regardless of 2024 U.S. Open finish

Should he be on the team?

Bryson DeChambeau is well on his way to a second major championship title. With 18 holes to go and a three-shot lead, there’s a good chance at the end of Sunday, DeChambeau will capture his second U.S. Open championship.

The win would be significant for DeChambeau. It would be his third top-six finish at a major this year. It would be another bullet point on an already stellar resume for the 30-year-old. It would also come with a big payday.

However, there is one thing DeChambeau won’t get for a win Sunday in the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2: a spot on the United States Olympic men’s golf team for the games coming in August in Paris.

DeChambeau was slated to be on the team in 2021, alongside eventual gold medalist Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa, but he got COVID the week before and was unable to travel. This year, he also won’t be making the trek to Le Golf National in France.

U.S. OPEN: Leaderboard | Hole-by-hole | How to watch

He has the Official World Golf Ranking to thank. Only 60 players make the field for the Olympic golf competition, with a max of four players per country if the four players are inside the top 15 in the OWGR.

The top 15 players on the OWGR are eligible for the Olympic Games, up to a maximum of four golfers from a single country.

After the top 15, the Olympic Golf Rankings consist of up to the top two eligible players per country, as long as that country does not already have at least two players in the top 15.

As it stands, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa are the four highest Americans in OWGR. Monday, June 17 is the cutoff for the Olympic competition, meaning the U.S. Open was the last chance for someone to play their way into the field, like Spain’s David Puig did.

DeChambeau is 38th in the world, which is pretty incredible considering he has only nine counting events in the system. With LIV Golf not receiving OWGR points for its events, DeChambeau and others are limited to the majors or other events to earn ranking points.

Even with a win, DeChambeau wouldn’t become one of the four highest ranked Americans. In fact, Patrick Cantlay is ranked a spot behind Morikawa, and Cantlay is likely the only American who can play his way on the team Sunday.

Last year, many people thought DeChambeau was snubbed being left off the 2023 Ryder Cup team. With his recent form, especially in the biggest events, it’s hard to imagine DeChambeau not teeing it up again in the Olympics, but it’s won’t happen, even if he wins his second major title Sunday.

Olympics watch: See which notable players are currently outside cutline, including Americans Rose Zhang, Lexi Thompson and Danielle Kang

The race to Paris is on.

The race to Paris 2024 will begin to tighten as players jockey for a spot in the 60-player field. But remember, those spots aren’t reserved for the 60 best women in the world. The Olympic qualifying criteria is designed to ensure that players from around the world are represented, even if that means a large portion of the field is ranked outside the top 200. (Currently, that’s 15 of the 60 players.)

With a cutoff date of June 24, or just after the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, players will have roughly six months to shore up a spot. The women’s event will be held Aug. 7-10, immediately after the men’s competition.

First, here’s a review of how qualifying works.

The IGF utilizes the Rolex Rankings to create its own Olympic Golf Rankings. The top 15 players in the world are eligible for Paris, with a limit of four players from any given country. Currently, the United States is the only country with four players.

The rest of the field will come straight from the rankings, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players in the top 15.

The host country, France, is ensured at least one spot, which will go to Celine Boutier, who is currently No. 3 in the world.

With a maximum of four players from the likes of the U.S. and South Korea, a number of highly-decorated players will once again be left at home.

Here’s a look at a dozen notable names (with current Rolex Ranking) currently on the outside looking in: