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The men’s competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics is off to a great start, but something is still missing.
Currently, the men’s and women’s golf competitions are separate at the Olympics, but what if they weren’t? A mixed team event would enhance golf’s Olympic experience. My colleague Jack Mirko wrote about how LIV Golf could benefit the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, so I thought I’d chime in. His article is great, and I encourage you to read it.
Grab a coffee, a buttery croissant and sit back and discuss why Olympic golf needs more than stroke play.
The Olympics need both men’s and women’s professional competition
Last year’s Grant Thornton Invitational was a huge success. Of all the events I covered in 2023, this one was my favorite because it brought together PGA Tour and LPGA players on the same team. The results were phenomenal.
“I think it would be a perfect addition to the Olympics. Men and women don’t play together very often, but they should. Professional women and men are in a league of their own, but one of the most undeniable things I learned during Grant Thornton’s weekend is that these men love playing alongside the women.”
Photo: Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images
Tony Finau took his cues from Nelly Korda and she took her cues from him, Joel Dahmen praised Lilia Vu’s talent, Sahith Teegala and Rose Chan were a dynamic duo and it was fun to watch them inspire each other.
Jason Day and Lydia Ko were a veteran duo who played really well together. They won.
It’s been an amazing week, and the Olympics is the perfect platform to make this happen again.
There is a mixed-gender tennis competition in the Olympics, so why not expand that to golf as well?
I’ll try and pair up different teams from each country. Of course, pairing Scottie Scheffler with Nelly Korda might be too unfair, so I’ll pair this year’s 2024 US team as follows:
— Nelly Korda and Xander Schauffele
— Rose Chan and Scottie Scheffler
— Lilia Vu and Collin Morikawa
* Wyndham Clark will not compete because only three American women were eligible.
Minjee Lee and her brother Ming Woo Lee are both likely to compete for Australia, while Jason Day will partner Hannah Green.
Charlie Hull and Tommy Fleetwood would be an iconic pairing, while Georgia Hall and Matt Fitzpatrick would be a secretly good one.
Why not expand mixed-gender events like the Ryder Cup or Solheim Cup?
Individual stroke play would take place at the beginning of the games, with a mixed event possibly taking place in the second week – perhaps this could come to fruition in Los Angeles in 2028, as fans would be happy.
In case you missed it: Top news from professional golf
Check out the story below:
Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and other stars get off to a strong start in Olympic golf
Paris 2024 Olympics: Xander Schauffele picks up where he left off in Tokyo
Gary Player files lawsuit claiming 1974 British Open championship Claret Jug was sold without his consent for $500,000
Paris 2024 Olympics: SB Nation staff predicts men’s golf medallists
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow us for more golf articles. Follow You can follow us on all major social platforms. You can also follow us on Twitter Follow Her Instagram account is @golf_girl_sl.
