Brooks Koepka, Adam Scott and Tyrrell Hatton are among the list of high-profile athletes who have requested to withdraw from the 2024 Olympics, Golf Digest has learned. The news was first reported by Spanish media outlet El Periodi di Golf.
This will be the third time the sport has competed at the Summer Olympics since its return in 2016 after a 112-year absence from the Olympics. However, many leading athletes withdrew from the 2016 Brazil Games due to concerns about Zika, and although voter turnout improved for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed due to the coronavirus, there are still a number of big stars in the sports world. Some people were absent. This summer's contest in Paris is expected to draw more participants, but not everyone wants to compete.
According to an internal IGF memo, Koepka, the current PGA champion and five-time major winner, has asked the International Golf Federation to remove his name from consideration. Koepka would have faced a tough battle in qualifying for the U.S. team. Although the top four players in the Official World Golf Ranking are automatically selected, Koepka's lack of LIV Golf's OWGR certification for him has dropped him to No. 31 in the World Ranking. Hatton, who recently defected to LIV Golf, will be an Olympic candidate to represent England. However, unless he performs well at a major championship, his status as 16th OWGR will likely decline as the year progresses.
Scott's withdrawal is not surprising. The Australian had previously expressed disinterest in including golf as an Olympic sport, saying it was an “exhibition” and that allowing amateurs to compete was a better idea. He passed both games in 2016 and 2021.
Other players who asked to opt out include LIV Golf's Louis Oosthuizen and Thomas Pieters. Germany's Marcel Siem is the only player to request to be removed from consideration.
The IGF has no plans to publicly identify which players have opted out, according to an internal document. However, as of this writing, no female players have formally requested to opt out.
Qualifying for the 2024 Olympics began in July 2022, with golfers accumulating points in the Official Olympic Rankings, which essentially mirror the world rankings for men and women. The first round of the 72-hole men's Olympic competition begins (August 1-4) at Le Golf National's Albatross Course, host of the 2018 Ryder Cup. The women's tournament will begin three days after the men's event, from August 7th to 10th, before the closing ceremony on August 11th. There will be a total of 60 participants, with at least one spot reserved for a golfer from the host country (France). Otherwise, you are not eligible. No country can have more than 4 golfers compete, and all golfers ranked within the top 15 qualify (maximum number of golfers for each country is 4). Golfers ranked from the top 15 onwards to 16th and below can qualify, with a maximum of two golfers from one country qualifying.
