Ranking the Top 20 Golfers Ahead of the 2016 Olympics in Rio
Not a part of the Olympics since 1904, when George Lyon claimed the gold medal for Canada (as you've surely heard more times than you care to by now), golf makes its return with a four-round stroke-play tournament in Rio.
In ranking the field, we don't know how the Gil Hanse-designed par-71 course will play, so a "horses-for-courses" angle is out.
Instead, we'll look at the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), recent form and key statistical indicators (mainly the "strokes-gained" family of stats). "Key stats" are not included for golfers who haven't played enough PGA Tour rounds to officially rank.
With that in mind, here at the top 20 golfers vying for the first Olympic gold medal in golf in more than century.
20. Bernd Wiesberger
1 of 20
OWGR: 58
Olympic ranking: 16
Last 3 starts: Open de France: T11, Open Championship: Cut, PGA Championship: Cut
Why he's here: Wiesberger hasn't played his best stuff of late, but he's a global golfer comfortable on the big stage. The Austrian has a better OWGR ranking than some players ahead of him, but poor recent form holds him back.
19. Joost Luiten
2 of 20
OWGR: 66
Olympic ranking: 21
Last 3 starts: Scottish Open: Cut, Open Championship: Cut, PGA Championship: T33
Why he's here: Representing the Netherlands, Joost Luiten is a four-time winner on the European Tour. He's made the cut in all four majors in his career and should be comfortable on the Olympic stage. He slides ahead of Wiesberger due to a better showing at Baltusrol.
18. Yuta Ikeda
3 of 20
OWGR: 95
Olympic ranking: 29
Last 3 starts: U.S. Open: Cut, Open Championship: T72, PGA Championship: T33
Why he's here: Yuta Ikeda isn't exactly a known quantity in the U.S. However, at the age of 30, with 14 wins on the Japanese tour and amid a run of decent form, he's deserving of a nod ahead of Luiten.
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17. Thongchai Jaidee
4 of 20
OWGR: 43
Olympic ranking: 11
Last 3 starts: Scottish Open: Cut, Open Championship: T22, PGA Championship: T73
Why he's here: A winner on the European Tour earlier this year, Thongchai Jaidee is a grizzled veteran and former army paratrooper in Thailand. At 46, he's been a fixture inside the top 50 of OWGR for years. It's hard to imagine the former military man won't be giving it all for his country on the international stage.
16. Anirban Lahiri
5 of 20
OWGR: 69
Olympic ranking: 19
Last 3 starts: WGC-Bridgestone Invitational: T33, Open Championship: T68, PGA Championship: Cut
Why he's here: Anirban Lahiri carries the hopes of India with him to Rio de Janeiro. A winner twice on the European Tour and seven times on the Asian Tour, the 29-year-old will be feeling pressure, but in decent form—with 16 of 21 cuts on the PGA Tour this year—he's poised for a good showing.
15. Thomas Pieters
6 of 20
OWGR: 64
Olympic ranking: 22
Last 3 starts: Scottish Open: T29, Open Championship: T30, PGA Championship: 86
Why he's here: Similar to Lahiri on a performance front and nearly sandwiched together in the Official World Golf Ranking, we'll give Belgium's Thomas Pieters the edge due to less weighty national expectations.
14. Byeong Hun An
7 of 20
OWGR: 35
Olympic ranking: 10
Key stats: SG: OTT 49, SG:TTG: 76
Last 3 starts: WGC-Bridgestone Invitational: T49 Open Championship: T59 PGA Championship: Cut
Why he's here: A respectable player who isn't on the top of his game at the moment, Byeong Hun An has more big-time experience and a superior pedigree (youngest winner of the U.S. Amateur) to Pieters, allowing him to edge out the Belgian.
13. Soren Kjeldsen
8 of 20
OWGR: 44
Olympic ranking: 15
Key stats: SG: P: 40, Driving accuracy: 12, Approaches from 50-125: 1
Last 3 starts: Scottish Open: T21, Open Championship: T9, PGA Championship: T33
Why he's here: A prominent figure into the weekend at The Open Championship, Soren Kjeldsen's accuracy off the tee should serve him well on a course with ruinous fairway bunkers. The Dane's superior recent play puts him above An and others on this list.
12. Danny Lee
9 of 20
OWGR: 45
Olympic ranking: 12
Key stats: SG: TTG: 39, SG: ATG: 40
Last 3 starts: Open Championship: Cut, RBC Canadian Open: T32, PGA Championship: T56
Why he's here: Kjeldsen has better play recently, but Danny Lee's 39th position in strokes gained from tee to green carries a great deal of weight in a diluted field. The New Zealander is simply a better all-around golfer.
11. Danny Willett
10 of 20
OWGR: 9
Olympic ranking: 4
Last 3 starts: Open de France: Cut, Open Championship: T53, PGA Championship: T79
Why he's here: Danny Willett's recent form has been poor, but his major-winning pedigree earns him consideration ahead of Kjeldsen and Lee at this big-stage event.
10. Rafael Cabrera Bello
11 of 20
OWGR: 29
Olympic ranking: 9
Last 3 starts: Scottish Open: T21, Open Championship: T39, PGA Championship: T49
Why he's here: Impressively inside the top 30 in the OWGR, Rafael Cabrera Bello has quietly been doing good work over the past two seasons. Even with just one missed cut on the PGA Tour this season, though, the Spaniard has been less consistent than Emiliano Grillo and his peaks have not been as high.
9. Emiliano Grillo
12 of 20
OWGR: 39
Olympic ranking: 13
Key stats: SG: OTT: 31, Driving accuracy: 16, Total driving: 3
Last 3 starts: Open Championship: T12, RBC Canadian Open: T43, PGA Championship: T13
Why he's here: If you look at Emiliano Grillo's best work in tournaments with above-average fields lately, he's averaged a finish between 10th and 20th. With top-15 showings in the last two majors, slotting Grillo ninth makes sense. We have to assume the Argentine will be excited to be teeing it up in South America.
8. Martin Kaymer
13 of 20
OWGR: 50
Olympic ranking: 17
Last 3 starts: Scottish Open: T13, Open Championship: T36, PGA Championship: T7
Why he's here: A strong performance at Baltusrol in his most recent start is encouraging. Martin Kaymer's pedigree easily places the German ahead of the likes of Cabrera Bello and Grillo.
7. Rickie Fowler
14 of 20
OWGR: 8
Olympic ranking: 3
Key stats: SG: OTT; 9 SG: ATG: 6, SG: T: 7
Last 3 starts: WGC-Bridgestone Invitational: T10, Open Championship: T46, PGA Championship: T33
Why he's here: Without a win, Rickie Fowler has quietly played high-quality golf this season, as his strokes-gained figures attest to. The American seems excited for the Olympics, based on his enthusiasm on social media, and he should have no problem finishing inside the top 10 this week.
6. Patrick Reed
15 of 20
OWGR: 14
Olympic ranking: 7
Key stats: SG: ATG: 4, SG: T: 24, Scrambling 9
Last 3 starts: Open Championship: T12, PGA Championship: T13, Travelers Championship: T11
Why he's here: While he hasn't been statistically brilliant or overwhelmingly consistent this season, America's Patrick Reed has rounded into form ahead of the Olympics. He is also arguably more excited than anyone to tee it up for his country.
5. Justin Rose
16 of 20
OWGR: 12
Olympic ranking: 5
Key stats: SG: OTT: 6, SG: TTG: 7, Scoring average: 14
Last 3 starts: WGC-Bridgestone Invitational: T46, Open Championship: T22, PGA Championship: T22
Why he's here: Reed's enthusiasm is a double-edged sword. The steady, superior sporting pedigree of Justin Rose should see the Briton do a bit better than the American in Rio.
4. Sergio Garcia
17 of 20
OWGR: 11
Olympic ranking: 6
Key stats: SG: OTT: 12 SG: TTG: 15, Greens in regulation: 5
Last 3 starts: BMW International Open: T5, Open Championship: T5, PGA Championship: Cut
Why he's here: A missed cut at the PGA Championship poured cold water on an impressive run of form for Sergio Garcia. However, coming off a bit of rest, the prudent play is to chalk the missed cut up as a fluke and expect a return to the form the Spaniard has displayed for the past few months.
3. Bubba Watson
18 of 20
OWGR: 6
Olympic ranking: 1
Key stats: SG: OTT: 3, SG: TTG: 8, Driving distance: 4
Last 3 starts: Open Championship: T39, PGA Championship: T60, Travelers Championship: T25
Why he's here: The top points-earner to accept a spot at the Olympics, Bubba Watson always looks respectable on paper. He's not playing his best golf, however, and the American seems more likely to be overwhelmed by the entirety of the Olympic experience than the gentleman at No. 2.
2. Matt Kuchar
19 of 20
OWGR: 20
Olympic ranking: 8
Key stats: SG: TTG: 14, SG: T: 8, Scoring average: 10
Last 3 starts: Canadian Open: T9, PGA Championship: Cut, Travelers Championship: 17
Why he's here: A solid performer week in and week out, Matt Kuchar doesn't fall victim to off-weeks and mental lapses in the way compatriot Bubba Watson frequently does. And as the Rio course has a links feel—a style Watson doesn't fare well on—Kuchar is a safer bet to string together four quality rounds in Rio.
1.Henrik Stenson
20 of 20
OWGR: 5
Olympic ranking: 2
Key stats: SG: TTG: 3, SG: T: 11, Birdie average: 4
Last 3 starts: Scottish Open: 13, Open Championship: 1, PGA Championship: 7,
Why he's here: The combination of recent form, pedigree and key statistical performance make Sweden's Henrik Stenson the easy choice for No. 1.
All stats via PGATour.com and the PGA Tour Media Guide.
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