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After a dream start to my picks article career at the U.S. Open, where I had champion Bryson DeChambeau in my outright card, I came crashing back down to reality with a brutal collection of picks for The Open.
I would never mention that most of my picks were on the bad side of the weather draw, so I definitely am not doing that now. With that in the rear view mirror, let's move onward with a few more throws at the golf dartboard for the men's Olympic Games.
Olympic golf is back for the third time since its return to the games in 2016 in Rio. Le Golf National is the venue, which hosts a DP World Tour event annually and also was the site of the 2018 European Ryder Cup rout of the Americans. Only four players from that event are in the field this week playing for a spot on the podium. All of them Europeans.
The main focus points for my picks this week are driving accuracy and course history. It is a small field with only 60 total players. Of those players, only 20 are in the top 50 of the current Data Golf rankings, so it's relatively weak also. I believe that opens the door for a few long shot plays.
With that in mind, here are a few picks who I think could join Justin Rose and Xander Schauffele as Olympic gold medalists. All of the odds are the best available on oddschecker at time of publishing.
My picks to win the 2024 Men's Olympic Golf Competition
Collin Morikawa 12-1
Morikawa came up just short of the podium in Tokyo, losing to C.T. Pan on the fourth hole of a wild seven-man playoff for the bronze medal. I’m actually glad Morikawa was not on the 2018 Ryder Cup team that got smashed ... no need to have those bad memories. His great run of play has continued through the summer with 10 straight top-16 finishes (not counting the team event in New Orleans). He’s the most accurate driver in the field and when his iron play is on, he’s one of the best in the world. If that shows up this week, Morikawa has a great chance to stand a top the podium.
Tommy Fleetwood 25-1
Who could forget Moliwood’s dominance of the 2018 Ryder Cup en route to a perfect 4-0 record in partner matches? (Only one made it to hole 16.) Fleetwood made up 50-percent of that dynamic duo and I’m sure he can still tap into the positive vibes from that week. Fleetwood also won at Le Golf National back in 2017. He’s had a good run of form this year and is fourth in the field in driving accuracy over the past six months according to Data Golf. If he can forget his poor driving performance at Royal Troon, where he was on the bad side of the draw, I like his chances to contend.
Alex Noren 40-1
Noren is another past champ at Le Golf National, where he won in 2018. He’s played 30 competitive rounds on the course, which is the most in the field. After a rough run of play in June where he missed three cuts, Noren got his game back on track with a pair of top 15-finishes in Scotland. Noren is 20th in total strokes gained over the past six months and is accurate off the tee. The 40-1 odds is a great price to take a swing on him in a limited field.
Victor Perez 100-1
A local longshot. Look, the data is not screaming Perez as a contender. But a T10 finish at the Scottish Open, T12 at the Memorial and third at the Canadian Open, all in the past two months, show his game is there. It has been a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde year for Perez, but I’m hoping the extra motivation of representing France on home soil could lead to a great week. At 100-1, it’s worth a flyer.
Who are you putting your money on to win gold? Let us know in the comments below.
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