RADIO
For the third consecutive edition of the Summer Olympics Games, we have GOLF! This year there will be a field of 60 athletes set to compete that was comprised using the Official World Golf Rankings system with a maximum of four players from a given country. Interestingly, we have a solid mix of PGA Tour Players and some players from the LIV Golf Tour who are ready to compete for their home country this week at Le Golf National in France.
The course itself has been a bit of a mystery in terms of course setup. The Olympics have still not released an official scorecard at the time that I am writing this piece and there seems to be cloudy information regarding course setup. When we last saw Le Golf National when it hosted the Ryder Cup, the fairways were pinched in and the rough was extremely penal to give the European Team that was comprised of more accurate players an advantage. It worked. That said, we see Le Golf National host the Open De France annually and my gut says the course setup will be more in line with what we are used to from that event.
As always with this article, my primary goal is to provide a place to start your research and preparation for the incoming week. I have carefully evaluated the field-to-project course fits and past results in team golf formats. This will give you a glimpse at how my brain operates when it comes to handicapping this unique event. Here are my top 10 players to watch out for and a brief write-up of my reasons why I think they will crush it this week in Scotland.
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No. 10 - Shane Lowry
Traditionally, Le Golf National has been a golf course that puts far more emphasis on control and accuracy than pure power. That should align nicely with the game of Shane Lowry as he has been one of the more consistently accurate players in terms of hitting the fairway this summer. He ranks in the tough half of the field in nearly every major statistical metric and should be able to carry some confidence over from Royal Troon where Lowry finished in solo 6th place.
It was a brutal Saturday for Lowry at the British Open where he started the round with a nice lead and as a substantial favorite. He's just not great at playing with a lead historically which is always concerning. Plus, he did most of the damage the first two days with his putter. We know that is just not something that you can consistently rely on to remain hot throughout the week. Once the putter cooled off, so did his chances of winning the Claret Jug. This should be a great course fit thought for Lowry and hopefully, he can pull some positives from his last performance to carry over into France.
Shane Lowry made 126 ft. of putts in round one, leading the field in strokes gained putting (+4.78).
Good on ya sir, but that's not sustainable #TheOpenChampionship pic.twitter.com/WwnNgPGuVW
— Joe I (@TourPicks) July 18, 2024
No. 9 - Viktor Hovland
Leading the country of Norway as one of their premier athletes in which they are hoping to medal, is Viktor Hovland. It's been a strange season for Hovland and it seems like any time that expectations are high, he underperforms. When no one expects him to play well, he shows up and competes. He's one of the best players in the field in terms of Off-The-Tee game. He swings the driver with power and accuracy.
His struggles, despite reuniting with his old swing coach, continues to be with short game. Unfortunately for Hovland, I think that it chipping around the greens is going to be very important at Le Golf National. I worry that he his Ballstriking has to be so supremely elite to compensate which is going to make winning a medal an uphill battle for Hovland this week. His last two performances on Europe have been nothing to build on but I know he's hopeful that he can get his game to click in France.
No. 8 - Tom Kim
I have made one bet to win as I sit here to write this preview article. That bet is on Tom Kim. I can't get over how much of a great course fit that I think this is for Kim. His driving accuracy has been incredible for the last couple months and his put him in contention on multiple occasions. He recently took Scottie Scheffler to a playoff at the Travelers Championship at a golf course at TPC River Highlands which I believe you can connect some dots and similarities to Le Golf National.
Not only that, Kim was one of the few players who elected to travel over to France and competed in the 2023 Open De France, held at this course. He finished -9 under par and in a tie for 6th place. It was the best result from any player that is competed this week in the Olympics. Kim has always relished the opportunity to rise to the occasion in big-time moments, and this is certainly one of those. I bet him at 28-1.
No. 7 - Tommy Fleetwood
Competing this week for Great Britain at a golf course where he has extremely fond memories will be Tommy Fleetwood. He was rightfully disappointed in his last tournament at the Open Championship where he missed the cut after getting wiped out by the bad weather wave in Scotland. Like some of the other players that I have highlighted, his elite ability to by hyper-accurate off the tee box should set him up with plenty of opportunities to score in France.
It's possibly that no other player in the field has as good of vibes at Le Golf National as Tommy Fleetwood. His was pure magic at the 2018 Ryder Cup where fans serenaded him to Tommy Fleetwood chants all week long as he excelled. He also won the French Open in 2017 at Le Golf National. Listen how fired up Fleetwood is to compete this week! We all root for Tommy, and I think this could be a great week for him to finally capture some glory.
🥇 "I would dream about winning an #Olympics gold medal, just like winning any of the majors."
Tommy Fleetwood looks ahead to #Paris2024 & playing @legolfnational where he won the French Open in 2017 & Ryder Cup in 2018…#RespectInGolf #TogetherInGolf @OlympicGolf pic.twitter.com/2qyQclfDWa
— England Golf (@EnglandGolf) July 24, 2024
No. 6. Collin Morikawa
I feel like a bit of a broken record but we once again have another player who possesses all the physical golf traits that I am leaning heavily into at Le Golf National. Hit it straight, lean on your wedges, and stay out of the rough. Collin Morikawa checks all those boxes as we have our first player that will be representing Team USA to make an appearance in the Olympics Power Rankings.
In his last 24 rounds played, Morikawa has been hitting a ridiculous 76.2% if fairways in regulation. For reference, tour average during that time is 60%. He has also been gaining nearly half a stroke per round on Approach. Get this, he's also been crushing it with his putter, gaining over four strokes putting on the field in two of his last three starts. He's doing everything but winning, but it could finally be time. He's a new-age big-game hunter and a player that would look great holding a gold medal on the podium!
No. 5 - Rory McIlroy
I know that I am supposed to come to this piece with a strong take on every player, but I have truly no idea what we are going to get out of Rory McIlroy. Unlike Shane Lowry, his fellow competitor representing Ireland, I found it interesting that he decided to skip the Opening Ceremonies. He skipped the Travelers, he skipped the post-round press conference at the US Open, and my gut tells me that professional golf is just not as fun as it should be right now for McIlroy.
He'' undoubtedly be one of the favorites, and he deserves to be. He's the number one ranked player in the entire field of 60 in terms of strokes gained OTT. That means something, but I'm more concerned with what is going on outside of the ropes for Rory McIlroy. I won't be betting him, but I also won't be surprised one bit if he shows up and wins. After his performances at the Majors this season, it would seem kind of fitting that McIlroy lets us down in those and then goes out and wins the Olympics by 3.
No. 4 - Jon Rahm
We have been waiting all season for his signature moment, as questions have muddied his 2024 campaign all year long. We finally have an answer. Jon Rahm got his win, capturing the victory this past weekend at LIV Golf UK after defeating his own teammate, Tyrrell Hatton, in a playoff. Rahm looked angry, had his familiar run-in with some rowdy fans on the LIV circuit, but ultimately his talent and will prevailed.
It felt like he was finally close after finishes T7 at the British Open, his best finish at a Major this season by far. He drove the ball great at Royal Troon and LIV UK which I think has always been the key to spurring his runs. We know how much competing for his home country means for Jon Rahm and he has to be excited for one more chance this season to play against some old familiar faces from the PGA Tour.
Jon Rahm couldn’t contain his emotions after winning his first event of 2024. pic.twitter.com/4zu41uxhUm
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) July 28, 2024
No. 3 - Ludvig Aberg
Talent. Skill. Guts. These are some of the attributes that I believe will eventually make Ludvig Aberg the number 1 ranked player in the world. He'll be teeing it up this week wearing the familiar yellow and blue of Sweden. He should be able to lean on his fellow teammate for some insights on Le Golf National, as fellow Swedish native Alex Noren has won at this venue before.
His ability to hit it long and straight is borderline unmatched when he has got it going. That ability should free him to be able to unlock certain holes at Le Golf National that other players may have to play conservatively. Aberg can go out there, swing freely, and try to stack birdies. He shown that he is pretty unphased by pressure and circumstance, and it's about time that he takes home a big trophy, or in this case...Gold!
No. 2 - Xander Schauffele
There are two players on planet Earth that could tell you how it feels to win a gold medal in Golf. Xander Schauffele is one of them. The Champion from the last Summer Olympics, the biggest win of his career at the time, is in the midst of the best season of his career. He's one of only two players in the history of the game that has won multiple Majors in the same year by shooting a final-round score of 65 of better. The other was Jack Nicklaus.
There is literally no weakness in his game and Schauffele has put to bed any concerns that he doesn't have the guts to win big events on Sundays. My only possible concern is that he probably has not picked up a golf club since that glorious Sunday at Royal Troon. That said, I don't blame him and he should be able to shake any rust during the practice rounds. If he wins gold again, it would put a nice cap on one of the best seasons in recent memory for a player. The summer of Xander!
Bonjour from Le Golf National. 🇺🇸🥇
The Champion Golfer of the Year and PGA Champion is here to defend his Olympic Gold Medal.pic.twitter.com/W2OeDxrPC0
— Xander Schauffele Legion (@XanderLegion) July 28, 2024
No. 1 - Scottie Scheffler
Speaking of players who have had a season for the golf record books, the number one ranked player in my Power Rankings is once again the great Scottie Scheffler. This is his kind of course, and his kind of setup. He has dominated these events all season with shortened fields. He loves a golf course where he is able to control his golf ball and accelerate on the fact that he is the best ballstriker on the planet.
He's roughly 4/1 on the odds board and I think you could make an argument that there is a lot of value in that price. There are only 60 players, and there are names like Joel Girrbach and Geganjeet Bhullar in the field competing against Scheffler. It's time to put a bow on his season and I am confident that we will indeed be seeing Scottie Scheffler with a gold medal around his neck in France this coming Sunday. It's right there for him.
Enjoy The Olympics and thanks for reading! Good luck, RotoBaller family!
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