Preview of Olympic Golf in Tokyo

If you’re anything like us, you’ve been counting down the days until the rescheduled dates for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games were announced. While we were super deflated when the competition was initially held off, we’re super excited to have something to look forward to in the world of live sport. 

There is something pretty special about watching athletes perform at their absolute peak and it simply does not get much better than the Olympics. The 2021 postponement of the Tokyo Games will see 33 sports hosted, with players and teams converging from all corners of the globe. 

We are on the edge of our seats with anticipation, and our focus will be particularly on golf. We’ve spent our time researching and digging around to teach ourselves everything we need to know about Olympic golf, particularly this year. 

Who are the athletes to watch? When will the competition take place? Where will it be held? 

If you’ve ever wanted to know about sport’s Olympic history, you’ve come to the right place. Here is our guide to the top things to know about Olympic golf. 

Top golfers at Tokyo 2020 

There are currently two nations dominating the world of golf in the lead-up to the 2021 Olympics. The United States is well head for men and the Republic of Korea for women. All eyes are on these two countries as they knuckle down and prepare to up their training regimes over the coming months. 

With a maximum of four players per country allowed to tee off in Tokyo, the race to secure these place is ridiculously intense. More than half of the men’s top 20 players in the world are from the USA, so the fight is particularly close in that neck of the woods. The only person guaranteed a place in the men’s competition in long-time world number one and 2020 Masters winner Dustin Johnson. 

Johnson initially ruled himself out from playing in Tokyo 2020, a decision he claimed was so that he could focus on his PGA Tour commitments. However, the postponement of the Games by a year has seen him reconsider the decision. The Florida-based star has been amping up his training, which has seen podium finishes at a number of national competitions in recent months. 

Golf competition format at Tokyo 2020 

Both the men’s and women’s golf competitions are set to be 72-hold individual stroke play events for the Tokyo Games. These events will take place over four rounds on four consecutive days, with around 60 players in each competition and no halfway elimination or cut. 

Players go out in scoreboard order for the last two rounds, before the leaders tee off in the final group. Things may get a little interesting in players in medal places are tied after 72 holes. In this unlikely situation, a three-hole playoff will decide the medallist before potentially sudden death. 

Olympic golf schedule at Tokyo 2020 

The golf events from the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympics are now due to take place from 29th July until 7th August. The men’s event will run 29th July until 1st August, while the women will take to the greens between 4th and 7th August. The play is scheduled as follows: 

Men’s competition: 

• 29 July – Men’s Individual Stroke Play Round 1
• 30 July – Men’s Individual Stroke Play Round 2
• 31 July – Men’s Individual Stroke Play Round 3
• 1 August – Men’s Individual Stroke Play Round 4

Women’s competition:

• 4 August – Women’s Individual Stroke Play Round 1
• 5 August – Women’s Individual Stroke Play Round 2
• 6 August – Women’s Individual Stroke Play Round 3
• 7 August – Women’s Individual Stroke Play Round 4

Olympic golf venue at Tokyo 2020 

If there is one thing we can guarantee from the Tokyo Games, it’s that the greens will be absolutely world class. The golfing events will be held on the East Course of the Kasumigaseki Country Club. This private club is found 50km north-west of Tokyo, in Saitama. 

The club was initially founded in 1929 and has previously hosted the Golf World Cup in 1957. The course has since been redesigned and lengthened to ensure it presents a greater challenge from golfers from across the globe. It was only when the Olympic bid was submitted by Japan that the club decided to accept women members. This decision was made after the IOC advised that the tournament would be moved to an alternative venue if the policy was not updated. 

Olympic golf history 

Golf is a relatively new introduction to the Olympics. The Tokyo 2020 Games is only the fourth time we have seen an Olympic golf tournament, so we are super excited to see this sport make it to the big time. The most recent time golf was seen in the mix was at Rio in 2016.