The world of golf takes center stage this week as the best players in the world tee it up at Le Golf National for the 2024 Men’s Olympic Golf Competition. Designed by Hubert Chesneau and Robert Von Hagge in 1990, the Albatros course at Le Golf National has previously played host to the 2018 Ryder Cup and has hosted the Cazoo Open de France almost annually since 1991. This week, the course will p,at as a Par 71, 7,174 yard layout.
Le Golf National has proven itself time and time again to be a formidable opponent to all who challenge it. Once again, length doesn’t matter, as all men everywhere let out a deep exhale. With narrow fairways and thick rough, bunkers and water hazards lurking around every turn, those who can keep it in play from the tee will quickly find an edge on their competition. The peril doesn’t end as players reach the fairway, as many of the sloping greens are also guarded by thick rough and hazards as well, placing a premium on strong iron play. Obviously, players who hit their greens are expected to do better than their opponents, but with such grisly rough and lots of strategically placed bunkers, players who miss the green will be met with great consequences. If you miss the green, you better have a mighty fine short game in order to give yourself a chance at saving par, so great scramblers and great escape artists from the sand will also keep themselves in the hunt due to those acquired skills. Putts must still be holed though if you want a chance at immortality and a podium finish. In the last 20 Cazoo Open de France tournaments, 14 of the last 20 winners have finished double digits under par for the week. But concurrently, five of the last 11 winners have finished single digits under par for the week. What does it all mean? I want an elite ball striker from both the tee and the fairway, someone who has a light touch around the greens, someone who can hole the putts when they matter and someone who won’t let the course beat them. (Sorry in advance, Rory.) I smell an American sweep possibly brewing (Once again, thank you, Rory.) and with 60 of the world’s best all sporting their nation’s colors and carrying the weight of their whole country on their shoulders, those who remain the most focused and remain in the moment come Sunday will be visiting the podium for a career defining moment.
Golf made its return to the Olympics in 2016 after last being a part of the games in 1904. Because of that, there have only been four previous Olympic golf competitions. The 1900, 2016 and 2021 editions were all stroke play format, while 1904 was held as a match play tournament.
Past Bronze Medal winners include:
- 1900: David Robertson
- 1904: Burt McKinnie and Francis Newton
- 2016: Matt Kuchar
- 2021: C. T. Pan
Past Silver Medal winners include:
- 1900: Walter Rutherford
- 1904: Chandler Egan
- 2016: Henrik Stenson
- 2021: Rory Sabbatini
Past Gold Medal winners include:
- 1900: Charles Sands
- 1904: George Lyon
- 2016: Justin Rose
- 2021: Xander Schauffele
The 18 hole scoring record for the Olympics is 61, which was achieved by Rory Sabbatini during the final round in 2021 at Kasumigaseki Country Club. Both the 72 hole scoring record and the 72 hole scoring record to par is 266 (-18), which was achieved by Xander Schauffele during his victory in 2021 at Kasumigaseki Country Club
The 2021 Men’s Olympic Golf Competition was won by Xander Schauffele, who shot a final round 67 to hold off Rory Sabbatini by a single stroke to earn the Gold Medal for the United States. Rory Sabbatini clinched the Silver Medal for Slovakia thanks to an incredible final round 61. C. T. Pan clinched the Bronze Medal for Chinese Taipei after shooting a final round 63 and outlasting six other players in a playoff. Paul Casey, Hideki Matsuyama, Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Sebastian Muñoz and Mito Pereira all finished T-4 after each falling in the playoff for the Bronze Medal.
One of just four golfers playing this week who played in both of the previous Olympic Games in 2016 and 2021 (alongside Ryan Fox, C. T. Pan and Fabrizio Zanotti), Malaysia’s own Gavin Green will once again have some of the longest odds among any of this week’s competitors, as he is currently ranked 277th in the Official World Ranking. Green had some solid showings earlier this season on the DP World Tour, with one top 5 and three top 12’s in his first nine starts of the season. His recent form has been lacking to say the least, with just one top 25 and a pair of missed cuts over his last eight starts. Green’s game hinges on finding success on the greens (please don’t throw tomatoes), as he ranks 8th on the DP World Tour in Putts Per GIR, as his ball striking has been abysmal this season, ranking outside the top 100 in both Driving Accuracy Percentage and Greens in Regulation Percentage, which does not bode well for a difficult layout like Le Golf National. For our longtime readers, we actually faded Gavin Green at the last Olympics in 2021. Granted, both previous Olympic tournaments were held at two different courses, but Green still struggled mightily in both previous starts, finishing 47th in 2016 and T-57 in 2021. The Olympics have always been a worldwide event and this year’s golf tournament is no different, with 32 countries being represented this year. With just 60 players teeing it up once again, I have no doubt that Green will finish in the bottom third of the field for the third straight Olympics.
The pride of Vicenza, Italy, Guido Migliozzi has had an up and down stretch of late, with one win, two top 5’s, three top 10’s, five top 25’s and four missed cuts over his last 10 starts on the DP World Tour. A four-time winner on the DP World Tour, including most recently in June at the KLM Open, Migliozzi’s success on the course can be attributed to both consistent iron play and putting, ranking 40th on tour this season in both Greens in Regulation Percentage and Putts Per GIR. Migliozzi has a game that fits Le Golf National well, gaining strokes in both Driving Accuracy and Off The Tee in each of his last seven starts, as well as in Approach in six of his last seven starts. Not to mention, Migliozzi won the Cazoo Open de France on this very same course back in 2022, so he knows a thing or two about finding success here. Despite being only 27-years-old, Migliozzi is making his second career appearance at the Olympics, as he represented Italy in 2021 with a respectable T-32 finish. Given Migliozzi’s recent successes, the solid state of his ball striking and his past success at this course, a medal isn’t necessarily out of the question. Realistically though, a top 20 finish would be a solid showing for Guido Migliozzi this week.
He may not have any wins this season, but Collin Morikawa is still a threat anytime he tees it up, earning seven top 10’s, 14 top 25’s and just two missed cuts in 18 starts. Morikawa’s game has been at its best this season when it is on the biggest stages, as he finished inside the top 20 in all four majors, including T-3 at the Masters Tournament and T-4 at the PGA Championship. Morikawa has a game that is seemingly custom built for Le Golf National, ranking 8th in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, 10th in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green, 15th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, 4th in Driving Accuracy Percentage and 15th in Scrambling. In his last eight starts, Morikawa has gained strokes on Accuracy in all eight starts, which will be vital for navigating these narrow French fairways. Morikawa has also gained strokes in each of his last eight starts Off the Tee and on Approach and is one of the finest ball strikers in the sport when he is dialed in. Morikawa will certainly be playing with a chip on his shoulder this week, as he finished T-4 at the 2021 Olympics after losing in a playoff for the Bronze Medal. I predict that Morikawa will avenge his loss from 2021 and propel himself to the podium by earning the Bronze Medal for the United States.
No surprises here. Of course I’m going to back the best player in the world this week. Scottie Scheffler’s been in a whole other zip code compared to his fellow PGA Tour brethren, with six wins, 14 top 10’s, 15 top 25’s and zero missed cuts in 16 starts. Scheffler is an absolute stud this year and the stats show it, ranking 1st in Strokes Gained: Total, Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green and Strokes Gained: Approach the Green, 4th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, 9th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green, 19th in Driving Accuracy Percentage, 1st in Greens in Regulation Percentage, 7th in Scrambling, 1st in Birdie or Better Percentage, 2nd in Bogey Avoidance and towards the top in damn near every other statistical category, other than Putting of course, his Achilles heel, ranking 90th in Strokes Gained: Putting. In his last 12 starts, Scheffler has gained strokes across the board in nearly every single event in Off the Tee, Approach and Around the Green categories, but has only gained strokes in Putting in nine of these 12 starts. In six of those nine starts, Scheffler won. In eight of those nine starts, Scheffler finished in the top two. Im all nine of those starts, Scheffler finished in the top eight on the leaderboard. Hell, in two of those other three events, Scheffler still finished inside the top 10, a true testament to his ball striking ability and his game all through the bag. I’m only predicting for Scheffler to win a Silver Medal this week because he’s lost strokes Putting in two of his last three starts. When his putter is locked in, you are not beating Scottie Scheffler and that is what ultimately decides whether Scheffler will find victory any given week. I have no doubt that Scottie Scheffler will be in the hunt this week and fully expect him to add a Silver Medal to his ever-growing trophy collection.
Scottie Scheffler may be the best player in the world right now, but no player is hotter than Xander Schauffele is at this very moment. In 18 starts this season, Schauffele has two wins (both majors, the PGA Championship and The Open Championship), 12 top 10’s, 17 top 25’s and zero missed cuts. The stats? Damn near spotless, ranking 2nd in Strokes Gained: Total, 3rd in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, 5th in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green, 9th in Strokes Gained: Putting, 11th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, 12th in Greens in Regulation Percentage, 1st in Scrambling, 6th in Birdie or Better Percentage and 1st in Bogey Avoidance, just to name a few areas that he excels in. In his last seven starts, Schauffele has gained strokes in Putting in each of those seven starts, as well as in six of his last seven starts in both Approach and Off the Tee. Schauffele is another one of the elite ball strikers on tour and has very few holes in his game, which should bode well against a tough layout that is Le Golf National. Oh, and the last time the Olympics were held, Schauffele did very well, winning the Gold Medal in 2021. In an event like the Olympics, you have to go with the best of the best and you have to go with the hottest players, especially when they are playing for a little bit extra after some “chipper” comments from Rory McIlroy earlier in the week, which is why I predict that Xander Schauffele will not only successfully defend his title, but also lead a medal sweep for the USA squad in France!
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