While so many of the game’s best have won dozens of trophies over the last four years, there have only been six Olympic medals available in golf over the last 12 years – with another Olympic golf competition on the horizon.
With the final countdown to Paris firmly on, here are six golfers who’ll be participating in their third Olympic Games but who have yet to walk away with a medal – but could very well break that drought this summer.
Minjee Lee (Australia)
There are 15 golfers on the women’s side who will have participated in all three Olympics since golf returned to the Games by the time this year’s competition tees off in Paris. Arguably the most notable on the women’s side to have not yet contended for a medal is Australia’s Minjee Lee.
Lee, formerly ranked No. 1 in the world and a 10-time winner on the LPGA Tour (including two majors), finished tied for seventh in Rio and tied for 29th in Tokyo.
The 28-year-old Lee has long been one of the most consistent golfers in the women’s game, and her elite ball-striking should be an asset at Le Golf National. She did a complete change of her clubs and ball in the off season and while she said she’s getting adjusted to the switch, she’s more comfortable now then she’s been all season and is hoping that will translate into some more success with the Olympics on the horizon.
“I still have a few events prior to the Olympics, hopefully get some form going in,” Lee recently told a Sydney newspaper. “You never know, one week can really turn everything around, that’s the nature of golf. I’m looking forward to those next few events and everything leading up to the Olympics.”
Brooke Henderson (Canada)
Another two-time major champion, Brooke Henderson is looking to improve on her Olympic results this time around in Paris.
Like Lee, Henderson’s ball-striking and tee-to-green game is world class, and if she can stay dialled in with her driver and irons at Le Golf National, she should have a prime opportunity to contend for a medal in her third Olympics.
Ironically, Henderson finished tied with Lee in both the Tokyo (29th) and Rio (seventh) Games.
This summer has marked a busy stretch for Henderson, but the 26-year-old Canadian noted she feels that her game is trending in the right direction.
“It’s definitely a huge stretch, so it would be a great time for the game to really show up and be in a good spot,” Henderson said at the Amundi Evian Championship where she finished T26. “Very exciting stretch coming up. All very big events; and hopefully I can peak at all of them.”
Carlota Ciganda (Spain)
Former Ladies European Tour Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year Carlota Ciganda was the Solheim Cup hero in her home country last year. She’s hoping that big-stage momentum will continue at the Olympics.
Ciganda, 34, is a seven-time winner on the LET and a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour and has been ranked as high as No. 9 in the world. The native of Spain finished tied for 29th in Tokyo and was tied for 39th in Rio.
“I love playing for Spain, playing for my country,” Ciganda said in a recent interview. “It’s one of the biggest honors to represent your country in the Olympics, and I would love to be there [and] hopefully getting a medal on the last day.”
Leona Maguire (Ireland)
A consistent presence on LPGA Tour leaderboards – and a winner on the Ladies European Tour this summer – Leona Maguire is looking to notch the biggest win of her career at the Olympics.
Maguire, who held the record for the most weeks on top of the World Amateur Golf Ranking and is the only Irish woman to win on the LPGA Tour or Ladies European Tour, is ranked No. 29 in the world.
The 29-year-old Irishwoman finished tied for 21st in Rio and tied for 23rd in Tokyo.
“Representing my country in both Rio and Tokyo were true highlights, and the opportunity to compete alongside the world's best athletes and to represent my country on such a prestigious platform is a dream come true for any athlete,” Maguire told an Irish news agency in the spring.
Ryan Fox (New Zealand)
There are only four men who will have participated in every Olympic competition since 2016 when things get going in Paris, and Presidents Cup hopeful Ryan Fox will again be one to watch.
Gavin Green of Malaysia, Fabrizio Zanotti of Paraguay and Tokyo bronze medalist C.T. Pan of Chinese Taipei are the others.
Fox is a four-time winner on the DP World Tour including the BMW Championship last September. He's made the cut in each of the three major championships so far this season and is ranked No. 63 in the world.
Fox finished tied for 39th in Rio and tied for 42nd in Tokyo.
“It’d be as good as it gets, honestly,” Fox told New Zealand’s The Post earlier this summer about what it would mean to win an Olympic medal at age 37. “I’ve won a couple of big events, but nothing would even compare to an Olympic medal.
Gavin Green (Malaysia)
Green, who has the Olympic rings tattooed on his right arm, only turned professional in 2015 and made the Rio Games almost right away.
Green said that he’s hopeful that teeing it up at the upcoming competition in Paris will give him a confidence boost for the rest of his 2024 season on the DP World Tour with his goal to be more consistent moving forward – trying to notch more top 10s and 20s versus just finding the weekend.
With a third Olympics just around the corner (he finished 47th in Rio and 57th in Toyko), Green believes his experience will be beneficial for him. It’s still, he said, an honor to just be there for his country.
“There is of course pressure on my shoulders, because I have been there before. It is a huge privilege and honor to represent Malaysia,” Green recently told the DP World Tour. “I’m hopeful I will get the chance of playing in more Olympics. I would love to do that. It is like a fifth major championship for me.”
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