Scottie Scheffler will be the first American to secure a spot at the Paris Olympics following his victory at the Players Championship. The Olympic golf event will take place at Le Golf National from August 1st to August 10th. Moreover, this is the first year the 27-year-old will be representing the American team after failing to qualify for the same from 2016 to 2020.
It is also been predicted by the projected rankings for June that Scheffler will be joined by Wyndham Clark, Xander Schauffele, and Brian Harman for Team USA. Schauffele previously won the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Also, LPGA stars Nelly Korda and Inbee Park once triumphed at the Tokyo Olympics. Now, let’s take a look at what a golfer needs to qualify for the Olympics!
What Are The Qualification Criteria For The Paris Olympics?
Qualifications for the Olympics are based on the OWGR rankings of the golfers from both the men’s and women’s circuits. There are 60 spots in total, which are distributed among the two sides. The OWGR rank until June 17 will be considered for men and the OWGR rank until June 24 will be considered for women.
Every country can be represented by two to four players depending on the available seats, and their ranks should be within the top 15. Each continent will have at least one male and one female golfer representing it. Also, the highest-ranked golfer from a continent will automatically qualify, if not through the qualification process. This year, Scottie Scheffler became the first qualifier on the US team.
BREAKING
After his win at #THEPLAYERS Scottie Scheffler becomes the first US player who is mathematically guaranteed a place in #TeamUSA at the #Paris2024 Olympics! #OlympicGolf pic.twitter.com/WdexYZwqe6
— Nosferatu (@VC606) March 22, 2024
By 2028, a new format will be introduced by the Olympics, that will have both male and female golfers playing in a mixed-team format at Riviera Country Club. Also, Scottie’s guaranteed spot has been earned by him by successfully retaining his world no. 1 position and missing no cuts in the 2022–23 PGA Tour season.
This year, he began with a fifth-place finish at The Sentry, followed by a 17th-place finish at The American Express. Then, he secured two more top-ten positions at Pebble Beach, the Phoenix Open, and the Genesis Invitational hosted by Tiger Woods. Following that, he triumphed at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and, most recently, at the Players Championship. Thus, Scheffler deserves all the bit to fly to Paris and represent his continent.
