A glance at the programme for the upcoming Paris Olympics makes you wonder why there was so much fuss attached to golf making a return to the Games in 2016. Yet fuss there was; from players who couldn’t be bothered travelling to Rio to others who questioned whether any sport where a gold medal can never be the pinnacle was worthy of inclusion. The strength of negativity made people ponder whether golf’s Olympic alliance would last.
Eight years on, the dynamic around Olympic golf has shifted beyond comprehension. Participation numbers in the sport are soaring. Golfers are generally unsure what that gold medal means in the context of their career – in fairness, only four living male and female players have sampled one – but have learned to embrace the Olympics. After what looked to be stress-free success at Royal Troon on Sunday, Xander Schauffele will land in Paris not only as the defending champion but with the Claret Jug in his hand luggage. Schauffele is the first player to win the Open and US PGA Championship in the same year since Rory McIlroy’s halcyon summer of 2014. The American has his eyes on a career grand slam.
“Before I had any majors, that was something I always wanted,” Schauffele said. “I’m one step closer and still have a long way to go. But if you don’t see yourself doing it, you’re never going to do it.” Schauffele’s consistency is demonstrated by top‑20 finishes in 11 majors in a row; no golfer has completed such a run in more than two decades.
The International Golf Federation, which pushed for and now administers golf’s Olympic return, must be rubbing its hands. Schauffele provides it with public relations it could not buy. His prominence legitimises something that was continually undermined pre-Rio.
Schauffele is far from alone in providing Parisian intrigue. Scottie Scheffler’s disastrous putting performance in Troon probably did not receive the focus it deserved. As Paul McGinley adeptly put it: “If I’m him, I’m really concerned that I can putt as badly as he did in a major championship.” How the world No 1 responds in the colours of the US will be fascinating. Jon Rahm, without an individual win since the 2023 Masters, has another shot at glory.
At Le Golf National, the scene of European Ryder Cup success in 2018, McIlroy will make his first playing appearance since a missed cut at the Open. His teammate for Ireland is Shane Lowry, who cut a dejected figure after falling short in Troon. What McIlroy and Lowry have to say about events in Ayrshire will provide Olympic golf with more pre-tournament attention. Lowry’s popularity within Irish sport and deep patriotism is such that it would be no shock to see him carrying his country’s flag at the opening ceremony on Friday.
“I’m playing good golf and I’d love to win a medal for Ireland,” Lowry said. “Obviously I’d want it to be gold but I’d probably take either three. So I’m very excited about it. I’m looking forward to the week. It is going to be a great test at a great course. That medal isn’t going to be around your neck until you’re finished on that 18th green, that’s for sure, at that place.”
Lowry’s sentiment chimed with McIlroy’s from Tokyo. The four-time major winner insisted he had never tried so hard to be third when part of a seven‑man bronze-medal playoff.
There is also the extraordinary – and extraordinarily complex – case of Joost Luiten. He launched a successful legal case against the Dutch Olympic Committee after they basically decided Luiten was not capable of winning a medal and therefore left his name off the golf team. The next problem was that the IGF had allocated Luiten’s place to someone else before the court case finished. After considerable back and forth, Luiten has been placed on standby. He remains irate about the situation, to put it mildly.
“It’s a big mess,” Luiten said after missing the Open cut. “I don’t know what to do. I’ve booked a holiday so I’m looking forward to that. I was just saying to my caddie, even if we do get in, I don’t think he is registered properly. You have to do so many forms. It’s a big hassle for one week to be honest.
“The IGF fucked up there. The IGF gave my spot away even though I notified them that I was going to court and asked to hold my spot please. They didn’t do that. They came back like: ‘It’s not our mistake, we’re just following the rules.’ They probably did but if someone sends you an email saying ‘hold my spot, I’m taking somebody to court’, the right thing to do is to not just give it away. It’s a big mess. They all just make mistakes and nobody owns up to them.” It is impossible not to envision some kind of Luiten protest on the 18th green at Le Golf National.
The women’s element has further intrigue. Nelly Korda, who won gold in Tokyo, triumphed five times in a row on the LPGA Tour and six times out of seven at the start of this year. Her most recent run has included three missed cuts in a row – including in two majors – and a tie for 26th. Which Korda will turn up in France? Ireland again has strong medal aspirations through Leona Maguire.
It has been a year of adequate rather than stunning major championships. The Olympics has scope to provide the most captivating storylines of all. What once appeared an inconvenience has the chance to gain powerful momentum.
