A roadmap to follow for the men's and women's golf competition at the Paris Olympics:
Athletes to Watch
—Scottie Scheffler, United States: The Masters champion has been the No. 1 player in the world for more than a year. Scheffler is so far ahead of the rest of golf that his margin atop the world ranking is the largest since the peak years of Tiger Woods.
—Jon Rahm, Spain: He was Scheffler's closest challenger on the PGA Tour until his shocking decision to join Saudi-funded LIV Golf. Rahm was the reigning U.S. Open champion during the Tokyo Games but had to withdraw because of a positive COVID-19 test. He has not won since the 2023 Masters.
—Rory McIlroy, Ireland: McIlroy, who is from Northern Ireland, passed on golf's return to the Olympics in 2016 in part because of the pressure of deciding whether to play for Britain or Ireland. He went to the Tokyo Games playing for Ireland and loved the experience. He missed the bronze medal in a playoff and said, ''I've never tried so hard in my life to finish third.''
—Nelly Korda, United States: The Olympic gold medalist in Tokyo, Korda recently ran off five straight victories on the LPGA Tour to reclaim the No. 1 ranking and establish herself anew as the best player in the women's game. But she has missed the cut in two majors, both times with a score in the 80s.
—Lydia Ko, New Zealand: Ko started the LPGA season with a victory and is closing in on enough points for the LPGA Hall of Fame. She is the only woman to earn an Olympic medal in Rio de Janeiro (silver) and Tokyo (bronze).
—Celine Boutier, France: Boutier had a breakout season in 2023 with four victories, including her first major at the Evian Championships in France. She is certain to be a crowd favorite at Le Golf National.
