The eyes of the sporting world are focused on Paris over the next fortnight and, for golf fans, attention turns to the familiar fairways of Le Golf National, which hosts the Olympic men’s competition. Masters winner Scottie Scheffler leads a four-pronged American challenge, which also includes US PGA Championship and Open Championship hero Xander Schauffele, who is bidding for a second straight Olympic gold.
We’re targeting three different golfers with our Olympics golf 2024 predictions, and you can fade or follow any of them before the competition kicks off later this week.
Golf returned to the Olympics after 112 years in 2016 but, unlike the Rio and Tokyo games, this is the first time the Olympic competition has been staged at a venue where a significant number of the 60-runner field have course experience. Le Golf National has hosted the French Open on 29 occasions, as well as the 2018 Ryder Cup won by Europe. With water on many holes, including the fearsome 18th, it is renowned as a difficult test of tee-to-green precision.
Scottie Scheffler has won six titles this year, and there is no reason to think he won’t relish Le Golf National, although he has lost strokes with the putter in two of his last three starts. Schauffele, meanwhile, has shortened up since winning the Open, and he’s arguably in better form than his compatriot. He is preferred of the top two, but there could be value elsewhere. The two previous modern Olympic golf competitions went the way of high-class performers Justin Rose and Schauffele. In a field that lacks depth, it could be Jon Rahm who makes course experience and class tell.
The Spaniard made his long-awaited breakthrough on the LIV Golf circuit on Sunday, holding off a host of stellar names to win the United Kingdom event. That win was the culmination of a fine run of form in which Rahm finished third in LIV Nashville, tenth in Andalucia and seventh at the Open before taking the title at JCB.
The Spaniard should relish the chance to compete for his country, and he knows Le Golf National better than most of his main market rivals, finishing tenth and fifth in two French Open appearances. He took down Tiger Woods in singles at the 2018 Ryder Cup and could be set for a famous Olympic triumph.
Le Golf National should also suit Collin Morikawa well, and the Californian could fare best of the American contingent, which also features 2023 US Open winner Wyndham Clark.
Morikawa has been enjoying the Olympic experience, attending the opening ceremony and several events over the first few days of the Paris games, but he should be all business on Thursday, and he tees it up in great form. The two-time Major champion has not won since dominating the Zozo Championship last October, but he has finished in the top 16 in each of his previous ten events and is striking the ball with confidence.
There are three previous French Open champions in the field – Tommy Fleetwood, Guido Migliozzi, and Alex Noren – and the last named looks to have a great chance of delivering gold for Sweden.
Noren finished tenth at the Scottish Open, then 13th at the Open in his last appearance, where only a second-round 75 prevented him from a bad draw and another top-ten finish.
The veteran has played in 11 French Opens and took some time to get to grips with the course but he was 15th in 2012 and has posted Le Golf National results of 8-10-1-18 from 2016 to 2019. He was also a successful European Ryder Cup squad member, winning two points from three matches.
