Ranking All 60 Players In The Men’s Olympic Golf Tournament

The third playing of Olympic golf (at least in the modern era) is upon us and all signs point to Paris being the best version yet.

The 2016 event in Brazil struggled as many top players backed out by using the Zika virus as a flimsy excuse. Five years later, Tokyo had a better field but didn’t quite deliver because of COVID-19.

The 2024 Games are here and there are no more excuses. It’s time for Olympic golf to gain some momentum.

There are 60 players in the men’s tournament which begins Thursday at Le Golf National, host of the 2018 Ryder Cup. Qualifying was through the Official World Golf Ranking, leaving a few key LIV players like Bryson DeChambeau on the sidelines. In reality, there are probably only about 20 guys with a legitimate chance of winning.

Still, it’s an International field with many of the top players representing their country. The top 15 world-ranked players are eligible for the Olympics with a limit of four players from a given country. Following that, players are eligible based on the world rankings, with a maximum of up to two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top 15. This happens until the number of 60 athletes is reached.

Without further delay, here is a ranking of all 60 players in the field.

The Top 10 Olympic Golf Competitors

1. Scottie Scheffler (USA)

Despite winning only one major during what could have been an even more historic season, Scheffler is still the best golfer in the world. A gold medal in Paris could push him to player-of-the-year honors.

2. Xander Schauffele (USA)

Schauffele became the first player since Brooks Koepka (2018) to win two majors in a season. He has virtually no weakness and is now my front-runner to complete the career Grand Slam before his peers.

3. Collin Morikawa (USA)

Three Americans to start off the rankings. Morikawa is hyper-accurate off the tee and has been playing superb golf this summer. His worst finish in his last 10 starts as an individual is a tie for 16th.

4. Ludvig Åberg (Sweden)

Aberg’s sublime driving will serve him well around Le Golf National, a narrow course with troublesome rough. He has seven top-10 finishes this year, including a runner-up in the Masters.

5. Rory McIlroy (Ireland)

Competing for Ireland, McIlroy is looking to end a strange season on a high note. He won the Zurich Classic alongside Olympic teammate Shane Lowry; maybe McIlroy does it again in France.

6. Jon Rahm (Spain)

Rahm had a horrendous major season by his lofty standards but a recent victory at LIV’s United Kingdom event may be just what he needs to get going.

7. Joaquin Niemann (Chile)

Despite ranking No. 114 in the Official World Golf Ranking (due to his LIV status), Niemann qualified for the Olympics and is a threat to medal. He is No. 12 in Data Golf and a consistent performer.

8. Corey Conners (Canada)

A surprise here as Conners makes the top 10 of this list. He is the definition of steady. Conners hasn’t missed a cut since the U.S. Open … in 2023. His sometimes balky putter has been better of late.

9. Tommy Fleetwood (Great Britain)

Tyrrell Hatton should be on the Great Britain squad but there is not much of a drop-off to Fleetwood. It’s been another “good but not great” year for Fleetwood who finished T3 in the Masters and won the Dubai Invitational.

10. Viktor Hovland (Norway)

This is a big spot for Hovland as he represents a country without much golf pedigree. Hovland’s been rebuilding his swing throughout 2024 but, as we saw in the PGA Championship, he’s still dangerous.

Players Ranked 11-20

11. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan)

Matsuyama has been quietly strong this year, winning the Genesis Invitational at Riviera and notching top-10 finishes at the Players Championship and U.S. Open.

12. Shane Lowry (Ireland)

Ireland has two big names in the competition. Lowry, who held the 36-hole lead at the Open Championship two weeks ago, is a tremendous fit on a difficult course like this.

13. Christiaan Bezuidenhout (South Africa)

Bezuidenhout doesn’t get much attention but he’s a world-class player with a short game that takes a backseat to virtually no one on the PGA Tour. His lack of distance won’t hurt him much on this layout.

14. Alex Noren (Sweden)

This is another awesome course fit. Noren is accurate off the tee and has a tremendous short game. His one glaring weakness is driving distance but hitting fairways is more important at Le Golf National.

15. Tom Kim (Republic of Korea)

Kim enjoyed the spotlight at the Presidents Cup two years ago so I’m thinking he could do the same again in Paris. A recent runner-up finish in the Travelers Championship is promising.

16. Jason Day (Australia)

My first Australian on the board is Day. It’s been a decent year for him, highlighted by top-10 results in four signature events. He’s yet to finish in the top three this season, however.

17. Byeong Hun An (Republic of Korea)

It’s a poor course fit for Ben An, a wild driver of the ball who can move it off the tee. But he has been playing well recently, including at T13 in the Open Championship.

18. Matt Fitzpatrick (Great Britain)

The 2022 U.S. Open victor has struggled mightily this season. The ability is there and it’s a favorable course fit so maybe Fitzpatrick rekindles something in Paris.

19. Sepp Straka (Austria)

I think Straka will play solid golf this week. The Austrian who moved to Valdosta, Ga., prior to a college career at the University of Georgia tends to run very hot or very cold.

20. Wyndham Clark (USA)

Clark is listed as No. 5 in the OWGR but only No. 41 in Data Golf. It’s been feast or famine as Clark has a win and two runners-up to go along with five missed cuts this season.

Players Ranked 21-30

21. Carlos Ortiz (Mexico)

22. Min Woo Lee (Australia)

23. Thomas Detry (Belgium)

24. Abraham Ancer (Mexico)

25. Victor Perez (France)

Perez will have the honor of representing France in Paris which must be a thrill. He’s a legitimate competitor and has played well this summer, highlighted by a solo third at the RBC Canadian Open.

26. Erik Van Rooyen (South Africa)

27. Adrian Meronk (Poland)

28. Stephan Jaeger (Germany)

29. Ryan Fox (New Zealand)

30. Matthieu Pavon (France)

Players Ranked 31-40

31. Thorbjørn Olesen (Denmark)

32. Emiliano Grillo (Argentina)

33. Nick Taylor (Canada)

34. Nicolai Højgaard (Denmark)

35. C.T. Pan (Chinese Taipei)

Pan won the bronze medal in Tokyo. It’s the biggest accomplishment of his career. He’s in worse form this time around, although he recently finished T2 in the John Deere Classic.

36. David Puig (Spain)

37. Keita Nakajima (Japan)

38. Matti Schmid (Germany)

39. Guido Migliozzi (Italy)

40. Kevin Yu (Chinese Taipei)

Players Ranked 41-50

41. Matteo Manassero (Italy)

Manassero is a tremendous story. His career hasn’t lived up to the high expectations he set as a teenager but the 31-year-old Italian is still battling. He won on the DP World Tour this year.

42. Sami Valimaki (Finland)

43. Mito Pereira (Chile)

44. Shubhankar Sharma (India)

45. Kristoffer Ventura (Norway)

46. Gavin Green (Malaysia)

47. Nico Echavarria (Colombia)

48. Fabrizio Zanotti (Paraguay)

49. Daniel Hillier (New Zealand)

50. Adrien Dumont de Chassart (Belgium)

Players Ranked 51-60

51. Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand)

52. Alejandro Tosti (Argentina)

53. Camilo Villegas (Colombia)

It’s great to see Villegas still competing. The 42-year-old Colombian has missed eight consecutive cuts on Tour and probably won’t be a factor this week but I’ll be rooting for him.

54. Zecheng Dou (China)

55. Phachara Khongwatmai (Thailand)

56. Carl Yuan (China)

57. Rafael Campos (Puerto Rico)

58. Joel Girrbach (Switzerland)

59. Tapio Pulkkanen (Finland)

60. Gaganjeet Bhullar (India)

Top Photo Caption: Tommy Fleetwood leads the Great Britain team into the men’s Olympic golf competition. (GETTY IMAGES/Andrew Redington)

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