So there are 60 players contesting the Olympic 2016 Golf Tournament and this will still be a fascinating contest, even without the top four in the world taking part. Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day have all decided to not go to Rio because of health concerns over the Zika virus, but the tournament, which is the first time that the sport has appeared in the Olympics in 112 years goes on without them of course.
Actually six of the top ten in the world won’t be attending. The tournament is a straightforward affair, a normal scrap over 72 holes of stroke play. The event starts on Thursday, August 11th and will conclude on Sunday, August 14th. Because there are medals up for grabs here and with ties a pretty common affair in the sport, there there will be a three-hole play off to settle any medal position if players are tied up. So that’s the only difference really to come there.
Each nation has a maximum of four players and qualification was based on the official world rankings. The top fifteen automatically got invites while the remaining places in the field then went to the highest-ranked players from countries who hadn’t filled two spots in qualification. The tournament is set to be played at Barra da Tijuca which is actually a course built upon what was used to be a sand quarry.
The course has been built specifically for the Olympics and it’s not what you would expect. It is more of a links-feel course with no trees lining the course anywhere but there will be sand and native grass awaiting any shots that get off line. So with the more Open-feel about the course, will that bring Justin Rose into contention, who likes the type of course that will be awaiting him? It’s similar to what you find in the Sandbelt in Australia and that is something that Rose enjoys. With the big withdrawals from the tournament, Rose is running at 12/1 to win gold.
Henrik Stenson is top of the pile though at a price of 6/1 and he has risen in stakes since his Major victory this year at The Open. He has also played at Castle Stuart as well, the Scottish links course that this one is based on. Form’s not a question, so he should be in the mix. Sergio Garcia has remained a strong option and while he went pretty well at the US PGA recently over the early stages, the big question over him would have him holding his confidence to the degree it needs to be at over the four rounds. Matt Kuchar is one of the better priced contenders, the American having one fairly well at the World Cup of Golf in 2013 on a very similar track. Then you have Martin Kaymer who is on form at the moment and he looks to be a pretty decent fit for the course as well.
Our tips for the contest would be Justin Rose as he sounds confident about the course, track and conditions and he seems to be pretty clued in. The other man in terms of value would have to be Patrick Reed who looks a brilliant fit for getting close here. He is overflowing with passion and pride and has been talked about a lot in the gold medal hunt here. He recently carded a 10th place finish at Castle Stuart in the Scottish Open and that should put him in great standing for the Olympic medal places.
Olympic Golf Outright Odds
Henrik Stenson 6/1, Sergio Garcia 7/1, Justin Rose 12/1, Rickie Fowler 14/1, Bubba Watson 14/1, Patrick Reed 14/1, Martin Kaymer 14/1, Matt Kuchar 16/1, Danny Willett 22/1, 25/1 bar
Olympic Golf To Win a Medal
Henrik Stenson 7/4, Sergio Garcia 9/4, Justin Rose 9/2, Bubba Watson 11/2, Rickie Fowler 11/2, Patrick Reed 11/2, Matt Kuchar 6/1, Martin Kaymer 11/2, Danny Willett 15/2, Emiliano Grillo 10/1, 11/1 bar
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