World No.1 Scottie Scheffler has guaranteed his spot at the upcoming Olympics in Paris, following his win at the Players Championship last week.
Qualification for the Olympics is determined by the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), with 60 spots available for the men’s and women’s competitions. The field will be based on the OWGR on 17th June for men and 24th June for women, with countries permitted two players per nation and up to four if all of those players are ranked in the top 15.
Each continent is guaranteed at least one player in both the men’s and women’s events, with the highest ranked athlete from each continent earning their spot if not already qualified.
According to OWGR guru Nosferatu on Twitter, Scheffler became the first player from the United States to be mathematically guaranteed a spot at the Games. Based on the projected rankings for 17th June, Wyndham Clark, Xander Schauffele and Brian Harman could also join Scheffler on Team USA.
🚨BREAKINGAfter his win at #THEPLAYERS Scottie Scheffler becomes the first US player who is mathematically guaranteed a place in #TeamUSA at the #Paris2024 Olympics! 🇺🇸 #OlympicGolf pic.twitter.com/WdexYZwqe6March 22, 2024
It will be Scheffler’s first Olympics after failing to qualify for the Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, when golf made its return to the Games or in Tokyo in 2020 (which was played in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic).
Americans Xander Schauffele and Nelly Korda won the gold medals in Tokyo, while Justin Rose of Great Britain and South Korea’s Inbee Park claimed gold in 2016.
This year’s Olympic golf competitions will take place between 1st and 10th August at Le Golf National, the same venue that hosted the 2018 Ryder Cup. The AP reported this week that Olympic officials are close to finalizing a mixed-team competition involving both male and female players for the 2028 Los Angeles Games at Riviera Country Club.
