2024 Paris Olympics Guide: LIV Golfers go for gold

BASIC INFO

When: Aug. 1-4, 2024

Venue: Le Golf National (L’Albatros course), Guyancourt, France

Format: 72 hole, individual stroke play

Field: 60 players representing 32 countries

LIV Golf players competing: Abraham Ancer (Mexico), Adrian Meronk (Poland), Joaquin Niemann (Chile), Carlos Ortiz (Mexico), Mito Pereira (Chile), David Puig (Spain), Jon Rahm (Spain)

At stake: Gold, Silver and Bronze Olympic individual medals

Benefits for Gold Medalist: Exemptions into all major championships through 2025 season; Official World Ranking Points

Golf in the Olympics: After a 112-year absence from the Olympics program, golf returned at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. Nineteen current LIV Golf players have represented their country since golf’s reinstatement.

LIV GOLF STORYLINES

Seven active LIV Golf players representing four different countries are in the 60-player field in the men’s competition

Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm is making his Olympics debut after qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 but having to withdraw due to Covid

Rahm’s Spanish teammate David Puig is also making his Olympics debut after moving into qualifying position when he made the cut at the U.S. Open

The other five LIV Golf players – Abraham Ancer, Adrian Meronk, Joaquin Niemann, Carlos Ortiz and Mito Pereira – are competing in their second consecutive Olympics

Pereira came close to finishing on the podium at the Tokyo Games, making the seven-man playoff for the bronze medal before being eliminated on the third playoff hole

Three of the four members of Torque GC will compete in Paris – Niemann, Ortiz and Pereira – and three other LIV Golf teams will also be represented (Rahm/Legion XIII, Meronk/Cleeks GC and Ancer and Puig/Fireballs GC)

Five of the LIV Golf Olympians are playing their fourth tournament in as many weeks – Ancer, Meronk, Niemann, Puig and Rahm, who have played LIV Golf Andalucía, The Open Championship and LIV Golf UK by JCB in the previous three weeks

MEMORIES OF LE GOLF NATIONAL

Jon Rahm’s most recent memory of Le Golf National, the venue for the men’s golf competition at the Paris Olympics, involves one of his biggest career highlights, as he defeated Tiger Woods in Singles at the 2018 Ryder Cup.

It also involves a much-viewed video highlight, with Rahm’s unbridled celebration after sinking the clinching 4-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole for a 2 & 1 victory that helped the Europeans to an eventual 17.5 to 10.5 victory.

“To win my first Ryder Cup point on Sunday against Tiger, it's quite unique,” said Rahm, the captain of Legion XIII and individual winner at LIV Golf UK by JCB. “So yeah, it's going to be very high up there [in his list of achievements].

“I would always say it's the biggest overreaction to a four-footer I've ever seen! But it's still what I felt in that moment.”

Of the seven LIV Golf players competing in the Olympics, Rahm has the most experience at Le Golf National. Besides his Ryder Cup appearance, he also has played the Open de France in 2017 (T10) and 2018 (T5).

Rahm will represent Spain in the Olympics alongside another LIV Golf player, David Puig of Fireballs GC. Puig was assured of his spot in June when he made the cut at the U.S. Open, giving him enough ranking points to join Rahm.

“Knowing he needed to make the cut after a tough Thursday, for somebody who really wanted to do it, to come in clutch and do it was quite special,” Rahm said of Puig. “I'm really excited to be his partner. I hope he can still prove himself how good he really is and have a good week.”

Poland’s Adrian Meronk, a member of Cleeks GC, also has played at Le Golf National, finishing T11 at the 2022 Open de France.

TEE TIMES

Here are the tee times for LIV Golf members for Rounds 1 and 2 at Paris Olympics (local time)

RECENT FORM

How the 7 LIV Golf Olympians fared in the month leading up to the Paris Games