Olympics 2024: Betting odds, predictions, insight for Men’s Golf Competition in Paris

The world’s best players have arrived in Paris for the Men’s Olympic Golf competition, a 72-hole stroke-play competition featuring 60 golfers.

The tournament is smaller than the PGA Tour’s signature events but its importance is greater, especially for the two Frenchmen who will be competing, Mathieu Pavon and Victor Pérez. Other top players include Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm, with eight of the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) teeing up in Paris this week.

Meanwhile, 25 of the players in this week’s field at Le Golf National, home of the 2018 Ryder Cup, are ranked OWGR 100 or above, so there’s plenty of competition at the top. But anything can happen in golf, especially with a field that’s so limited and so few variables.

Olympic Men’s Golf Odds

Latest Odds The winners of this year’s Le Golf National tournament. DraftKings:

Scottie Scheffler +330

Xander Schauffele +600

Rory McIlroy +750

Jon Rahm +1000

Collin Morikawa +1000

Ludvig Oberg +1200

Tommy Fleetwood +1800

Joaquin Niemann +2200

Viktor Hovland +2500

Tom Kim +2500

Shane Lowry +2500

Corey Connors +3000

Alex Noren +3000

Hideki Matsuyama +3500

Sepp Straka +4000

Ahn Byung-hun +4500

Min Woo Lee +5000

Jason Day +5500

Thomas Detry +5500

Wyndham Clark +6000

Le Golf National Predictions and Insights

French people make top 10 list of people we love

Speaking to media ahead of this week’s competition, Mathieu Pavone spoke about the importance of winning the gold medal and what it means to him to win it on home soil.

“After those few days in the Olympic Village, the Opening Ceremony in Paris in front of a huge crowd in front of the Eiffel Tower and these last few amazing moments, I really feel that a gold medal is worth more to me than any major championship,” Pavon said.

“It’s a great opportunity for us. We usually represent ourselves but this time it’s even bigger.”

Photo: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Pavon has recorded three top-five finishes since his dramatic victory at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in January, including a solo fifth-place finish at the U.S. Open. But he has missed the cut four times, dating all the way back to The Players Championship in mid-March. Still, Pavon will rely on his ball-striking to earn a top-10 finish on home soil this week. The passion in his native France is second to none, and we’re backing Pavon at +360.

Alex Noren and Corey Connors are also expected to finish in the top 10. Both players are priced at +175 and have shown great consistency all season. Noren, currently ranked 24th, is Data Golfrecently tied for 10th at the Scottish Open and tied for 13th at the British Open. Connors, meanwhile, is uncut in 2024 and ranks fourth on the PGA Tour in strokes gained on approaches to the green. The Canadian would have done better than tied for 25th at Royal Troon, but a third-round 80 in tough conditions ultimately sealed his fate.

Luck of the Irish

I expect Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy to finish in the top five at Le Golf National this week.

Lawry had a strong performance at Royal Troon but was eliminated at The Postage Stamp on Saturday, finishing in sole sixth place. The County Offaly native is one of the most accurate players on the PGA Tour and also ranks 10th in strokes gained on approaches to the green, two traits that should suit him well at Le Golf National. Lawry is currently rated +400 with a chance of finishing in the top five.

Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportfile via Getty Images

McIlroy, meanwhile, appeared to be in a slump after missing the cut by five strokes at Royal Troon, but prior to that he had finished in the top 15 in seven consecutive tournaments, including two wins in New Orleans and Charlotte.

McIlroy will bounce back this week and finish in the top five at +130.

Scottie Scheffler is too expensive

Scottie Scheffler once again enters the tournament as the overwhelming favorite to win. Despite Schauffele having won two of the last three majors, Scheffler is still the number one ranked player in the world. However, with Scheffler’s odds of winning at +360 and his odds of finishing in the top 10 at a whopping -400, it’s not worth betting on him. You simply won’t make a profit. But if you pick Scheffler, you might as well bet on him to win. Considering Scheffler already has six wins this season, this is not a bad choice at all.

The four winners

It’s one of four players who will take home the gold medal in Paris this week: Tommy Fleetwood (+1800), Collin Morikawa (+1000), Jon Rahm (+1000) or cash medalist Xander Schauffele (+600).

At the 2018 Ryder Cup, Fleetwood led Team Europe to another dominant home victory with an impressive 4-1-0 record against the USA. Fleetwood also won the 2017 French Open at Le Golf National and will undoubtedly be full of confidence going into the tournament.

Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images

The Englishman is in good form in 2024, having recorded three top 10 finishes this season, and Fleetwood will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing early exit at Royal Troon two weeks ago.

Morikawa, on the other hand, has improved dramatically since his strong showing at Augusta National. He hasn’t finished outside the top 25 since then, and a gold medal would be the highlight of his season. He’s had good results in four majors, but has fallen short each time. It’s time for him to win big.

Unlike Morikawa, Rahm has struggled at various majors before finally coming into a strong showing at the British Open. He won his first career title at LIV Golf in England last week and will be expected to continue his good form in France this week. Rahm is tough to beat when he’s in form and looks to be back on track for the first time since joining the Saudi Arabia-backed circuit.

And then there’s Schauffele, the now two-time major winner, who put together a historic round at Royal Troon on Sunday. He hit every shot far and straight, avoided the pot bunkers and made birdies with ease. His final-round 65 will forever live in Open legend. And amazingly, Schauffele is a contender for Player of the Year along with Scottie Scheffler thanks to his two major titles. Another gold medal could be in his favor, and it’s certainly a realistic possibility.

Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.