Olympic qualifiers: Which golfers are headed to Tokyo 2020?
How does the Olympic golf qualifying 2020 process work and who’s going? We’ll get you there, but first…
But the Olympics weren’t held in 2020?
Correct, they were not – and you can read all about that here – but they are still being referred to as the 2020 Olympic Games – or Tokyo 2020 if that’s what you prefer.
What happened last time?
Despite a controversy-filled build up to the 2016 Olympic Games golf programme in Rio de Janiero, the sport returned to the world stage with a flourish after well over a century away.
Some fine golf captured the hearts and minds of the local fans as well as those watching from home. With six of the world’s top players taking home the medals for six different countries, golf’s global reaches were well on display and vindicated its inclusion in the world’s biggest sporting event.
Justin Rose’s three-year gold medal tour, after winning the men’s event, has been the source of a few laughs among his peers, but also the source of a fair deal of envy and regret. While the excuses piled up before the last Olympics for some notable absentees, there will likely be few this time around as the game’s best are regularly reminded of what they missed out on.
Rory McIlroy, the most high profile golfer to snub the Olympics last time out, has already commited to represent Ireland at Tokyo 2020. But who has qualified, and how did they do it? We break it all down for you right here.
Where and when?
The men will compete in a traditional Thursday-to-Sunday slot from July 29-August 1, while the women’s tournament will be a Wednesday start from August 4-7.
Frustratingly but unsurprisingly, both tournaments are 72-hole stroke play affairs and will take place over the East course at Kasumigaseki Country Club.
Olympic golf qualifying 2020: How it works
As the Games have been pushed back by precisely one year, as has the qualifying period.
The men and women’s fields are made up of 60 players who will have qualified through the world ranking systems.
The top 15 in the world rankings on June 21, 2021 for men and June 28, 2021 for women qualified automatically – but only up to four players from each country can qualify this way. In the event that there are more than four from one nation inside the top 15, the lowest ranked would miss out.
To make up the rest of the field players qualified based on their ranking outside of the top 15 up to a maximum of two players per country. If there are already two or more qualified inside the top 15 then no further additions will be made.
Olympic qualifiers: Men’s field
The likes of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Sergio Garcia have opted out of playing, while none of the 2016 medallists – Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson and Matt Kuchar – have qualified.
So here is the men’s field for Tokyo 2020…
Argentina
Emiliano Grillo
Australia
Cameron Smith
Marc Leishman
Austria
Matthias Schwab
Sepp Straka
Belgium
Thomas Detry
Thomas Pieters
Canada
Corey Conners
Mackenzie Hughes
Chile
Joaquin Niemann
Mito Pereira
China
Carl Yuan
Ashun Wu
Colombia
Sebastian Munoz
Czech Republic
Ondrej Lieser
Denmark
Rasmus Hojgaard
Joachim B Hansen
Finland
Kalle Samooja
Sami Valimaki
France
Antoine Rozner
Romain Langasque
Germany
Maximilian Kieffer
Hurly Long
Great Britain
Paul Casey
Tommy Fleetwood
India
Anirban Lahiri
Udayan Mane
Ireland
Rory McIlroy
Shane Lowry
Italy
Guido Migliozzi
Renato Paratore
Japan
Hideki Matsuyama
Rikuya Hoshino
Malaysia
Gavin Green
Mexico
Abraham Ancer
Carlos Ortiz
Norway
Viktor Hovland
Kristian Johannessen
New Zealand
Ryan Fox
Paraguay
Fabrizio Zanotti
Philippines
Juvic Pagunsan
Poland
Adrian Meronk
Puerto Rico
Rafael Campos
Slovakia
Rory Sabbatini
South Africa
Garrick Higgo
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
South Korea
Sungjae Im
Si Woo Kim
Spain
Adri Arnaus
Jorge Campillo
Sweden
Alex Noren
Henrik Norlander
Taiwan
CT Pan
Thailand
Jazz Janewattananond
Gunn Charoenkul
United States
Justin Thomas
Collin Morikawa
Xander Schauffele
Patrick Reed
Venezuela
Jhonattan Vegas
Zimbabwe
Scott Vincent
Olympic qualifiers: Women’s field
Argentina
Magdalena Simmermacher
Australia
Minjee Lee
Hannah Green
Austria
Christine Wolf
Belgium
Manon De Roey
Canada
Brooke Henderson
Alena Sharp
China
Shanshan Feng
Xiyu Lin
Chinese Taipei
Wei-Ling Hsu
Min Lee
Colombia
Mariajo Uribe
Czech Republic
Klara Spilkova
Denmark
Nanna Koerstz Madsen
Emily Kristine Pedersen
Ecuador
Daniela Darquea
Finland
Matilda Castrren
Sanna Nuutinen
France
Celine Boutier
Perrine Delacour
Germany
Sophia Popov
Caroline Masson
Great Britain
Melissa Reid
Jodi Ewart Shadoff
Hong Kong
Tiffany Chan
India
Aditi Ashok
Ireland
Leona Maguire
Stephanie Meadow
Italy
Giulia Molinaro
Lucrezia Colombotto Rosso
Japan
Nasa Hataoka
Mone Inami
Malaysia
Kelly Tan
Mexico
Gaby Lopez
Maria Fassi
Netherlands
Anne van Dam
New Zealand
Lydia Ko
Norway
Marianna Skarpnord
Tonje Daffinrud
Philippines
Yuka Saso
Bianca Pagdanganan
Puerto Rico
Maria Fernanda Torres
Slovakia
Pia Babnik
South Africa
Ashleigh Buhai
Lee-Anne Pace
South Korea
Jin Young Ko
Inbee Park
Sei Young Kim
Hyo Joo Kim
Spain
Carlota Ciganda
Azahara Munoz
Sweden
Anna Nordqvist
Madelene Sagstrom
Switzerland
Albane Valenzuela
Thailand
Patty Tavatanakit
Ariya Jutanugarn
United States
Nelly Korda
Danielle Kang
Lexi Thompson
Jessica Korda
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