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Presented by OMEGA, Official Timekeeper of the Olympic and Paralympic Games
American golf comes into the 2024 Olympic Games with unprecedented momentum on the men's side.
For the first time since 1982, Americans hold all four major championship trophies in a single year. The problem is the host venue, Le Golf National's Albatros Course, has never been kind to the Red, White and Blue.
The U.S. Ryder Cup team failed miserably in France at the 2018 Ryder Cup, losing to the International team, 17.5-10.5. The Americans who competed got swallowed up and humbled by the course's long rough and water hazards. It's one of continental Europe's premier tournament venues, having also hosted the 2022 World Amateur Team Championships.
If you ask me about the toughest golf courses I've ever played, Le Golf National belongs on my short list of candidates. Le Golf National should prove to be a compelling host for the men's and women's Olympic Games Aug. 1-10.
It will be interesting how tough the annual host of the Cazoo Open de France, a DP World Tour event, plays for the 120 international competitors, 60 in both the men's and women's events. You can bet the setup won't be as gnarly as a Ryder Cup, where 8s only count as a lost hole in match play but are a tournament wrecker for a stroke-play event. It won't be your traditional French Open setup, either. Expect a mix of major-championship-caliber rough intermingled with easy pins early on and tough hole locations late to decide who takes home the men's and women's gold medals. With four rounds of stroke play, every shot will matter.
Let's look closer at the challenge the players will face. The men's yardages for each hole are followed by the women's yardages in parentheses.
Golf at the 2024 Olympic Games
When: The men will tee it up August 1-4, with the women following August 7-10.
Where: Le Golf National's Albatros Course.
Course stats: Men's: 7,174 yards; par 71. Women's: 6,374 yards; par 72.
Men's field: United States: Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Collin Morikawa. Argentina: Emiliano Grillo, Alejandro Tosti. Australia: Jason Day, Min Woo Lee. Austria: Sepp Straka. Belgium: Thomas Detry, Adrien Dumont de Chassart. Canada: Corey Conners, Nick Taylor. Chile: Joaquin Niemann, Mito Pereira. China: Zecheng Dou, Carl Yuan. Chinese Taipei: Kevin Yu, C.T. Pan. Colombia: Camilo Villegas, Nico Echavarria. Denmark: Nicolai Hojgaard, Thorbjorn Olesen. Finland: Sami Valimaki, Tapio Pulkkanen. France: Matthieu Pavon, Victor Perez. Germany: Stephan Jaeger, Matti Schmid. Great Britain: Tommy Fleetwood, Matthew Fitzpatrick. India: Shubhankar Sharma, Gaganjeet Bhullar. Ireland: Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry. Italy: Matteo Manassero, Guido Migliozzi. Japan: Hideki Matsuyama, Keita Nakajima. Malaysia: Gavin Green. Mexico: Abraham Ancer, Carlos Ortiz. New Zealand: Ryan Fox, Daniel Hillier. Norway: Viktor Hovland, Kris Ventura. Paraguay: Fabrizio Zanotti. Poland: Adrian Meronk. Puerto Rico: Rafael Campos. Republic of Korea: Tom Kim, Byeong Hun An. South Africa: Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Erik van Rooyen. Spain: Jon Rahm, David Puig. Sweden: Ludvig Aberg, Alex Noren. Switzerland: Joel Girrbach. Thailand: Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Phachara Khongwatmai.
Women's Field: United States: Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu, Rose Zhang. Australia: Hannah Green, Minjee Lee. Austria: Emma Spitz, Sarah Schober. Belgium: Manon De Roey. Canada: Brooke Henderson, Alena Sharp. China: Ruoning Yin, Xiyu Lin. Chinese Taipei: Peiyun Chien, Wei-Ling Hsu. Colombia: Mariajo Uribe. Czech Republic: Klara Davidson Spilkova, Sara Kouskova. Denmark: Emily Kristine Pedersen, Nanna Koerstz Madsen. Finland: Ursula Wikstrom, Noora Komulainen. France: Celine Boutier, Perrine Delacour. Germany: Esther Henseleit, Alexandra Forsterling. Great Britian: Charlie Hull, Georgia Hall. India: Aditi Ashok, Diksha Dagar. Ireland: Leona Maguire, Stephanie Meadow. Italy: Alessandra Fanali. Japan: Yuka Saso, Miyu Yamashita. Malaysia: Ashley Lau. Mexico: Gaby Lopez, Maria Fassi. Morocco: Ines Laklalech. Netherlands: Anne Van Dam. New Zealand: Lydia Ko. Norway: Celine Borge, Madelene Stavnar. Philippines: Bianca Pagdanganan, Dottie Ardina. Republic of Korea: Jin Young Ko, Amy Yang, Hyo-Joo Kim. Singapore: Shannon Tan. Slovenia: Pia Babnik, Ana Belac. South Africa: Ashleigh Buhai, Paula Reto. Spain: Carlota Ciganda, Azahara Munoz. Sweden: Maja Stark, Linn Grant. Switzerland: Albane Valenzuela, Morgane Metraux. Thailand: Atthaya Thitikul, Patty Tavatanakit.
Hole 1 - 419 yards (386), par 4
The opening hole introduces the target-oriented, risk-reward-style golf Le Golf National requires. Most players will layup left short of the water to avoid the mounding and heavy rough up the right side of the hole. That leaves a simple short iron over the water, as long as the nerves are under control.
Hole 2 - 210 yards (154), par 3
The narrow green angles away from the players hugging the same pond the entire way. A back left pin brings all the trouble into play. The safe miss would seem to be long into the three back bunkers until players realize the escape isn't so easy with the water lurking.
Hole 3 - 558 yards (499), par 5
Some water up the right side could catch a leaky drive. Farther up on the left, water does make an appearance, but won't factor for most players who must decide between a calculated lay up or going for it in two. A large greenside bunker on the right will likely get a lot of action.
Hole 4 - 486 yards (421), par 4
This hole underwent a significant change prior to the Ryder Cup, removing a large waste bunker along the left side in favor of moguls and two smaller bunkers (and another one farther up the right). The green, which slopes from back to front, is heavily fortified with five different bunkers, most front and left.
Hole 5 - 405 yards (371), par 4
Because the hole bends right, it's wise for players to stay up the left side. The problem is the three stacked fairway bunkers waiting there. All four greenside bunkers line the left side as well, providing a clear opportunity to bail out right if necessary.
Hole 6 - 380 yards (359), par 4
A relatively short hole with no bunkers ... no problem right? The rippling fairway could mess with the lie, and the green stretches to 50 yards long. Club selection for the approach will change from round to round depending on the pin. A forward tee could even bring driving the green into play.
Hole 7 - 457 yards (434), par 4
Although there are no fairway bunkers in play off the tee, the fairway pinches tight the farther players hit it, acting like an island among a sea of rough and mounds. A second ribbon of fairway drops to a sunken green with four bunkers again bordering its left flank.
Hole 8 - 208 yards (161), par 3
An elevated tee looks down up a front bunker guarding a green that falls off on all sides. Only precise strikes won't wander off the putting surface.
Hole 9 - 579 yards (466), par 5
The fairway slopes toward the water on the left, so that's a concern off the tee. Three greenside bunkers climb up the right, all just short of a narrow green sporting multiple tiers. A few long hitters might go for it, although the odds indicate a more measured approach could be more effective making birdie.
Hole 10 - 375 yards (351), par 4
Players will hit their straightest club in the bag to avoid the water on the left and penal rough right. The real challenge comes on the second shot to an elevated green perched above the hazard and a lone front bunker. More doubles will happen here than you think.
Hole 11 - 174 yards (144), par 3
The reintroduction of the lake gave this hole a much-needed renovation. A false front that feeds shots into the water makes a front pin the most dangerous. Two back bunkers frame the shot from the tee.
Hole 12 - 433 yards (408), par 4
A long, skinny waste bunker protects either side of the fairway that twists right. Dramatic slopes make putting difficult on the clover-shaped plateau green.
Hole 13 - 414 yards (371), par 4
No. 13 is a spectacular golf hole, turning right into a torture chamber of trees and hazards. Pros frightened by the pond up the right will tend to overcompensate by putting their ball in the left rough. It's no gimme they'll be able to carry the water, or have a good angle over or through the trees, to reach the green from there.
Hole 14 - 552 yards (478), par 5
A rare hole that whips left, the long 14th is more about accuracy than brute strength. The narrow fairway slides gently left with no bunkers in sight. A large waste bunker front left, the biggest on the course, grabs most attempts to go for the double-tiered green in two.
Hole 15 - 405 yards (377), par 4
The 15th looks like it has been shipped overseas from TPC Sawgrass. A bulkhead-lined pond winds up the entire right flank. The green is actually an island sharing land with the 18th. Translation: There is room to miss it without sinking in the water but not by much.
Hole 16 - 168 yards (150), par 3
Another hole, another water hazard. This par 3 is the opposite of the second hole. It's got three front bunkers (instead of two in back) and water lurking the entire right side (instead of the left). The primary challenge is the same, hitting a green angled away from the tee.
Hole 17 - 480 yards (397), par 4
With no bunkers or water, the 17th might seem like a reprieve among such a dramatic stretch, but it doesn't play like a breather hole. It's long. It's narrow. It's difficult. A miss left on the approach will leave the ball in a grassy pit well below the green.
Hole 18 - 471 yards (447), par 4
Podium positions will be won and lost on the finishing hole. Players need to pick their poison - six bunkers on the right or in the water left. Leaving it in the bunker likely means a layup to get up and down for par. Even if it is on an island, the second-largest green on the course shouldn't be a problem to hit from the fairway. Holing a pressure-packed putt could bring Olympic glory.
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