Golf returns to the Olympics for the first time in 112 years, and all eyes turn to Rio de Janeiro as 120 of the world’s best male and female golfers compete not for trophies but for medals.
Rewind
Golf appeared at the Olympic Games for the first time in 1900 when Americans Charles Sands and Margaret Abbot won gold in the Men’s and Women’s competitions respectively. Just 22 players - 12 men and ten women - from four countries, took part in the inaugural event at Compiègne Golf Course.
In 1904, at the St Louis games, 77 athletes (72 Americans, three Canadians and two Britons) took part in both individual and team events at Glen Echo golf course. Canadian George Lyon won the individual gold, then a match play event where he defeated H. Chanlder Egan in the final. The United States took team gold.
The event was cancelled at the 1908 London Olympic Games after a disagreement over the format meant there were no competitors from Great Britain. Golf was then reinstated to the Summer Olympics for Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 after the 121st International Olympic Committee session in Copenhagen in 2009.
The field
The 60-man field in Rio for this week's Men's Competition includes six Major Champions, six WGC winners, one former World Number One and 39 winners on the European Tour. No fewer than 42 of the 60 man field come from European and Challenge Tour Membership.
The United States travel to Rio with the highest number of golfers taking part as Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar, Patrick Reed and Bubba Watson successfully qualified for the event.
Masters Tournament champion Danny Willett will compete for Great Britain alongside former US Open champion Justin Rose.
The 145th Open Champion, Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, is joined by compatriot David Lingmerth, who won last year’s Memorial Tournament on the PGA Tour, beating Rose in a play-off on the third extra hole.
The field also features a host of golfers from around the world who are both on form and hungry for more success. India’s Anirban Lahiri will be looking to win a medal for India after a stellar season in 2015. Korea’s Byeong Hun An will also be hoping to add a medal to his flourishing career, especially as his parents were both Olympic table tennis medallists at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul.
Three Challenge Tour players: Ryan Fox, Espen Kofstad and José-Filipe Lima will represent their countries (New Zealand, Norway and Portugal), as will last year’s Road to Oman winner Ricardo Gouveia (Portugal).
The course
Designed by renowned American golf architects, Hanse Golf Design, the 2016 Olympic golf course has received very positive reviews since its test event in early March this year. Hanse Golf Design was chosen by the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Committee due to its use of the land. Advocating use of the natural terrain and vegetation, Hanse Golf Design went for a sustainable model that would minimise the areas of frequent maintenance seen on most golf courses around the world. The result is a rugged course that opens itself to the elements; on a windy day this course will be completely different and will cause golfers some real headaches. Whatever the result of the Men’s Olympic golf competition, this golf course is sure to stand the test of time.
Hanse, designer of the course at Castle Stuart, host venue of the 2016 Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, teamed up with 29-time Ladies PGA Tour winner Amy Alcott for the project.
Did you know?
Canadian golfer George Lyon declined his second Olympic gold medal when, in 1908, disagreements over the format for the competition left him as the only competitor after the entire British contingent pulled out.
In 1900, the inaugural women’s golf event was won by American Margret Abbott. However, it was not until after her death in 1955 that it was discovered she was an Olympic champion. Abbott played the event with her mother thinking she was there for the Ladies’ Championship of Paris.
Ninety-three different golfers appeared in the 1900 and 1904 Olympics – Albert Lambert of the United States was the only person to compete on both occasions.
Only Canada, Great Britain and the United States have won medals in golf.
