Olympics Golf

The importance of an Olympic Medal in the sport of Golf was highly questioned eight years ago, but in 2024 this will be the third time an Olympic Medal has been up for grabs in golf and there's no doubt it means more to the players than what maybe anticipated.

Joost Luiten was prepared to go to court to get his place in the field so we can safely assume that players bringing back a medal to their country will be of huge significance in their careers.

Le Golf National represents a change in terms of what we're used to so far in the Olympics as it's a venue we know very well from holding the Open De France for many years as well as the 2018 Ryder Cup.

Danger lurks around every corner of this layout, especially the closing stretch where water becomes a very prominent with every shot.

The final few holes remind me of a type of resort course in Florida similar to PGA National or Doral. 

10 of the last 11 winners at Le Golf National ranked inside the top 15 in the scrambling stat for the week so clearly this is a huge part of the equation here.

Approach play has usually played a big part also and either a great week with the irons or a similar week in scrambling will give you the best chance of competing. 

Olympics Golf Tips

 

Shane Lowry at 25/1 (Five Places)

Shane Lowry had a mighty disappointing Saturday at the Open but he was upbeat afterwards about the quality of golf he had played and there is little doubt he did get a bit unlucky there with some bad breaks.

He rallied on Sunday but it was all in vain in the end with Schauffele stamping on everybody's neck during the final nine holes. It was another encouraging week for the Irishman though ranking 6th in approach and 3rd in Greens In Regulation.

Those are two important stats for Le Golf National and he has two top 20s to his name here in his last three attempts.

Playing for Ireland in the Olympics is a big deal and don't underestimate how big it would be for Lowry to win this as there have only ever been 11 gold medals brought back to Ireland in the Olympics.

Lowry has everything going for him after playing some hugely impressive golf in recent weeks and he rates as the best bet for me towards the top of the market. 

2pts each-way S.Lowry  25/1  (1/5 5) AK Bets

Byeong Hun An at 66/1 (Six Places)

It comes as no surprise that Alex Noren has been supported in the market late last week and early this week given his record around here.

A win here back in 2018 is flanked y four other top 20 finishes and he arrives as one of the form golfers in the field. 10th and 13th across the two Scottish Links tournaments in July was an impressive return and he ranks 4th in scrambling in the field over the last six months.

He looks a solid danger to the favourites but it takes bravery to get on board around the 28/1 mark given his victory here six years ago was the last time he tasted success.

He's probably a much better golfer than what he was back then, but in this field I can't get on board with the price. Instead at more than double those odds I'm happy to include Byeong Hun An who has improved a lot over the last couple of years.

Over the past three years An has gone from just above average off the tee to one of the longest hitters in the game. This hasn't resulted in a victory on the PGA Tour during this time but he has managed to post seven top 5 finishes in his last two seasons on tour.

13th at the Open two weeks ago complimented his top 20 earlier in the year at the Masters and he has shown on numerous occasions this year that his game mixes in the best fields on tour.

He is a solid all rounder which bodes well for a trip around Le Golf National, a venue on which he finished 15th on his only visit back in 2015.

His parents both won Olympics medals in Soeul in 1988 and with a much better game in tow this time around he looks better equipped to join them. 

1pt each-way Byeong Hun An  66/1  (1/5 6) General

Thomas Detry at 66/1 (Six Places)

Finally I'll include Thomas Detry who has yet to break through on either of the two main tours but back in 2018 did win the World Cup of Golf alongside Thomas Pieters, and may be best suited by playing for his country.

I have watched Detry in the flesh a number of times, the latest being at Wentworth last September where he was 3rd at halfway.

I was struck by his lack of passion, certainly outwardly and birdies and bogeys came and went without a flicker. It's possible the Olympics may just fire him up that extra bit and he's having a sneaky good year on the PGA Tour.

He has found himself in some promising positions only for it not to happen over the weekends, but the more experience he racks up in that department the more likely a victory is to happen.

After 36 holes this year he has found himself 3rd at Torrey Pines, leading at Pebble, 3rd in Houston, 4th at the USPGA and 2nd in the US Open.

The Belgian was 25th here back in 2016, 16th in 2018 and 8th in 2019. Whether he will make it count over the weekend is up for debate but he has found himself in great positions in strong field events this year and this could easily be another given his experience at this venue.

1pt each-way T.Detry  66/1  (1/5 6) Unibet, BetUK, Bet MGM