LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 golfer in the world, doesn’t seem to like much trash talk.
But then again, he’s never been an Olympian before.
“If I can go off on some of my friends who say golfers aren’t athletes, then I can kind of argue that I’m an Olympian,” Scheffler said with a smile.
Scheffler is at Valhalla for this week’s PGA Championship, a little more than a month after the birth of her son, and admitted on Tuesday that she “definitely” wants to be a part of Team USA for this summer’s Paris Olympics.
This is welcome news for Team USA. But the rest of the world’s golfers headed to Paris in search of gold in the first week of August.
Scheffler has won four of his past five starts and has a dominant run that includes wins at the Players Championship and Masters, putting him well above the ranks of the world’s top-ranked male golfers. As a result, Scheffler’s place at Le Golf National is almost certain, with just over a month left until the men’s Olympic qualifying spots are decided on June 17, the day after the U.S. Open.
However, for other Americans, there may be some drama before then.
Olympic golf fields are limited to 60 for the men’s and women’s four-round tournaments, so each country can only have a maximum of four golfers in each event. That makes the situation extremely competitive for the United States, which has six of the top 10 men’s players in this week’s latest Olympic golf rankings.
As of this week, Scheffler (1st), Xander Schauffele (3rd), Windham Clark (4th) and Patrick Cantlay (8th) qualify, but Max Homa (9th) and Brian – Herman (0th place) is eligible to participate. 10th place), Sahit Segala (12th place), and Collin Morikawa (13th place) are within range. The order of alternates could also be important, as there is no guarantee that all four U.S. qualifiers will choose to participate.
Schauffele, who won gold at the last Tokyo Games, recently told Golf Monthly that he would like to compete in another Olympics if he can qualify for Paris.
Homa is also paying attention to the standings. He said Tuesday that it’s “in the back of my mind” to play well enough to be selected to the U.S. Olympic team in the coming weeks.
“As golfers, I don’t think the Olympics ever feel like what we’re trying to do is real,” Homa said. ”
In the women’s rankings, Tokyo gold medalists Nelly Korda (1st place), Lilia Vu (2nd place), Rose Zhang (6th place), and Megan Kang (15th place) are gaining momentum as representatives of the United States.
Golf was not an Olympic sport for more than 100 years until it was reinstated at the 2016 Rio Games. That year, Matt Kuchar (bronze medalist), Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, and Patrick Reed represented the United States. In Tokyo, Schauffele was joined by Morikawa (who lost in the bronze medal playoff), Justin Thomas and Reed.
Olympic qualification is based on the World Golf Rankings, making it difficult for LIV Tour golfers to earn points. A few exceptions, such as Spain’s Jon Rahm and Chile’s Joaquin Niemann, are in position to qualify, but Golf Magazine reported earlier this year that LIV player Brooks Koepka had withdrawn from the Olympic team. . Either way, it’s doubtful Koepka would have qualified for Team USA.
It will be a small field in France, but it should still be a star-studded field. Rory McIlroy (Ireland), Ludwig Aberg (Sweden), Viktor Hovland (Norway), Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick (Great Britain), Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) and Jason Day (Australia) are the top performers respectively. He is a player expected to join the team.
“It’s going to be a great experience,” Homa said. “And I’m really, really looking forward to it in the next few golf tournaments.”
Contact sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@gannett.com and X. @Gentry_Estes.
