‘It was awesome’: after Rio and Tokyo false starts, golf hits an Olympic high

This proved the finest day of golf’s Olympic return. It was one of overdue validation.

Rio in 2016 was disrupted by refuseniks and the Zika virus. Covid restrictions in Tokyo three years ago overshadowed the Games for most competitors. On the outskirts of Versailles, in front of huge galleries, Olympic golf found a home.

Shane Lowry mis-hit his opening tee shot after being taken aback by the scale of his welcome. Rory McIlroy also had raised eyebrows. “Unbelievable,” he said of the crowd.

“It was surprising. With so many events going on spread all across the city, for people to venture out here and to watch us play … it was a really cool atmosphere to play in. I thought the weekend it might get a few more people. I thought the first couple days might be a little bit quieter but it was awesome.”

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McIlroy recalled the “ghost town” of Tokyo by comparison. Jason Day, one of those who opted to skip Rio as golf reappeared at the Olympics after an absence of more than 100 years, had not donned Australian colours since he was a 17-year-old amateur.

“The first couple of holes caught me off-guard,” he said. “I was quite nervous standing over the first tee shot and then it took me a few holes to get over it.

“We’re not playing for money this week. We are playing for a medal and you’re here for kind of playing for free. But my point is that it feels totally different. This is the most I’ve felt nervous standing on a tee box wearing a set of clothes that I’m wearing for the first time.

“It’s a good feeling because it just shows that it means a lot to me. I’m happy about it.”

There is, however, a LIV-branded elephant in the room. The Saudi Arabia-backed tour has seven competitors in the field, with the figure affected by the reliance on the official world ranking system. LIV events have no ranking status hence their players have tumbled down the standings.

The most prominent LIV player thus far is Joaquín Niemann, who opened with a five-under-par 66. The Chilean tried impressively not to talk himself into trouble after signing his scorecard but answered “no” when asked whether the qualifying setup is fair. “You don’t have the best players [at the Olympics] right now,” he said.

The US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau is the obvious case in point, albeit competition for the United States team was seriously stiff.

Victory for Niemann would earn him a valuable exemption into all of 2025’s majors. He is keen to play DP World Tour events later this year but is unclear whether that is possible or not.

Niemann is more clear on the Olympic format, which he believes should be amended to allow a mixed-gender competition. The plan has been mooted for 2028 in Los Angeles.

He is well also aware gold medals carry more weight than standard golf success in his homeland. “I feel like only 2% of Chile know what the PGA Tour or LIV Golf is,” he said. “The other 98%, probably 100%, all know what the Olympics are.”

Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama leads the way after a terrific 63. Xander Schauffele, the recently crowned Open champion , finished at minus six before the second weather delay of the opening round was necessary. Lightning had been reported close to the course.

McIlroy three-putted the last for a 68. Tommy Fleetwood and Scottie Scheffler are among those one better off than McIlroy. In a day of generally fine scoring from the 60-man field, those to struggle included Wyndham Clark, who shot 75, and Min Woo Lee who could fare no better than 76.