Golf at 2024 Paris Olympics: How it works, Team USA stars, what else to know

Here's what you need to know about golf at the 2024 Paris Olympics .

When did golf become an Olympic sport?

After being contested in the 1900 and 1904 Olympics, golf was absent for 112 years, returning for the 2016 Games and featuring professional tour players.

How does Olympic golf work?

It's like a typical four-day, individual tournament on the PGA or LPGA Tour. Golfers contest 72 holes of stroke play over four rounds, and the top three finishers earn medals with playoffs used to break ties. (The last Olympics needed a seven-way playoff to award the men's bronze.) Fields for the men's and women's tournaments are each limited to 60 golfers. Qualification was based on world golf rankings as of June 17 for men and June 24 for women with a four-player maximum per country.

Golf at the 2024 Paris Games will be held at Le Golf National, less than an hour southwest of Paris. It is the site of a regular event on the European Tour and hosted the 2018 Ryder Cup won handily by Team Europe.

Who are the top Team USA athletes in golf?

Team USA claimed both gold medals at the Tokyo Games, thanks to Xander Schauffele and Nelly Korda. The women's team in Paris features Korda, Lilia Vu and Rose Zhang. The men's team in Paris features Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa.

Korda, who will turn 26 during the Games, has been in dominant form in 2024 and should be favored to repeat in Paris. Scheffler’s similar perch of late as a world No. 1 makes him a prominent contender for the men’s gold.

What's the international landscape in Olympic golf?

While Team USA figures to have the deepest contingent headed to Paris, many of the world's top pros are expected at Le Golf National. A star-studded men's field will likely include Ireland's Rory McIlroy, Spain's Jon Rahm, Norway’s Viktor Hovland, Great Britain’s Matt Fitzpatrick and other big names. France’s Matthieu Pavon won on the PGA Tour in early 2024. He will be a local favorite at the Olympics, much like Celine Boutier in the women’s tournament the following week.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Golf at 2024 Paris Olympics: How it works, Team USA stars, what else to know