We are now just 100 days out from women’s golf taking swing at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games where an abundance of Ladies European Tour (LET) stars will take to grandest sporting stage of all.
For any athlete, nothing evokes more honour than representing your country and this year sixty female competitors from around the globe will tee up at Le Golf National in Paris, France for the 72-hole stroke play individual event between 7-10 August 2024.
The prestigious course on the outskirts of Paris previously staged the 2018 Ryder Cup and has been used for almost 30 editions of the French Open on the DP World Tour.
The Paris Games mark the third consecutive staging of golf at the Olympics after the long-awaited competition returned in 2016 for the Rio Games followed by the Tokyo Games five years later.
USA’s Nelly Korda will be defending her Olympic crown after adding a gold medal to her already impressive resume at Kasumigaseki Country Club last time out. New Zealand’s Lydia Ko will also be gunning for gold as she looks to complete the treasured triad having picked up silver in Rio and bronze in Tokyo.
As for LET stars past and present, all our Olympians continue to recognise playing at the Games as one of the biggest accomplishments and highlights of their careers, and this year should be no different as a host of players battle it out to earn one of the coveted spots.
Leading the way will be the likes of Celine Boutier (France), Charley Hull (Team GB), Georgia Hall (Team GB), Linn Grant (Sweden), Leona Maguire (Ireland), Aditi Ashok (India) and Carlota Ciganda (Spain). While rising stars such as Alexandra Försterling (Germany), Alessandra Fanali (Italy), Shannon Tan (Singapore) and Sara Kouskova (Czech Republic) will also be hoping to fulfil lifelong dreams and debut in the Games.
Fanali, now into her second year on the LET, said: “I feel like the Olympics is the goal of every single athlete. At least, that’s how I see it because I have grown up watching it every four years. I actually took a class in college about the history of the Olympics! The whole story behind it is special. So for me, it would mean so much to get to play. It’s a lifetime goal and probably the best memory you can have in your life.”
Eligibility to compete in the Games will be determined by the Olympic Golf Rankings, which are calculated using a player’s position in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings as of June 24. The top 15 players in the Rolex Rankings will qualify for the Olympic Games, with a four-person limit for each country represented in the top 15.
From number 16 onwards eligibility will be based on Rolex Ranking. Each country that does not already have two or more players ranked inside the top 15 will have a two-person limit.
A total of 60 players will tee it up in the women’s golf competition with the host country France guaranteed one of those 60 spots. Just like she so wonderful did at The Amundi Evian Championship last summer, Boutier will again be carrying her nations hopes of a prestigious medal firmly on her star-studded shoulders.
Players in both the men’s and women’s events – the former taking place a week prior between 1-4 August – will play a 72-hole stroke play competition across four days, with gold, silver and bronze medals for each of the top three finishers. There is no cut and in the event of a tie for any of the medals, a sudden death playoff will take place to determine the medallists.
Here’s a look at the Olympic Golf Rankings following the Investec SA Women’s Open as of 29 April 2024 (LET members are listed in bold):
Nelly Korda – USA
Lilia Vu – USA
Céline Boutier – France
Ruoning Yin – China
Jin-Young Ko – Republic of Korea
Brooke Henderson – Canada
Charley Hull – Team GB
Hannah Green – Australia
Minjee Lee – Australia
Lydia Ko – New Zealand
Atthaya Thitikul – Thailand
Hyo-Joo Kim – Republic of Korea
Lin Xiyu – China
Megan Khang – USA
Alison Lee – USA
Maja Stark – Sweden
Nasa Hataoka – Japan
Ayaka Furue – Japan
Leona Maguire – Ireland
Patty Tavatanakit – Thailand
Carlota Ciganda – Spain
Linn Grant – Sweden
Ashleigh Buhai – South Africa
Georgia Hall – Team GB
Gaby López – Mexico
Aditi Ashok – India
Esther Henseleit – Germany
Albane Valenzuela – Switzerland
Alexandra Försterling – Germany
Emily Kristine Pedersen – Denmark
Anne Van Dam – Netherlands
Azahara Muñoz – Spain
Perrine Delacour – France
Stephanie Meadow – Ireland
Nanna Koerstz Madsen – Denmark
Pei-Yun Chien – Chinesa Taipei
Bianca Pagdanganan – Philippines
Diksha Dagar – India
Manon De Roey – Belgium
Celine Borge – Norway
Klara Davidson Spilkova – Czech Republic
Wu Chia-Yen – Chinesa Taipei
María Fassi – Mexico
Paula Reto – South Africa
Morgane Metraux – Switzerland
Shannon Tan – Singapore
Alessandra Fanali – Italy
Mariajo Uribe – Colombia
Emma Spitz – Austria
Ashley Lau – Malaysia
Sara Kouskova – Czech Republic
Maddie Szeryk – Canada
Matilda Castren – Finland
Madelene Stavnar – Norway
Momoka Kobori – New Zealand
Natasha Oon – Malaysia
Daniela Darquea – Ecuador
Sarah Schober – Austria
Virginia Elena Carta – Italy
Ines Laklalech – Morocoo
For more information about women’s golf at the Olympic Games, visit the International Golf Federation (IGF) and the Paris 2024 websites.
