RADIO
Every now and then, a change of pace from the monotony that can sometimes be the reality of a lengthy PGA Tour season can bring new life to an event. Every four years, we now get that week. Sixty of the best players in the world have descended into Paris, France to compete for the honor of their home countries in the 2024 Olympic Games. Both the men's and women's competitions this week will be held at Le Golf National on the Albatros Course.
While this is the first time we have seen this course utilized by the Olympics committee, we have seen Le Golf National on the big stage before. Every year this course hosts the Open De France, their national open on the DP World Tour and was also the host of the 2018 Ryder Cup. Information about the set up and course logistics have been a slow leak, but I know feel like I will have a good understanding of how the course will play and which players it specifically favors.
I wanted to use this piece to hopefully highlight a few different angles and elements that may be less spoken about to provide some value in this course preview. I'm hopeful that you can utilize this for building lineups and making your stat models to provide you with the best possible chances of success this week. In this course preview, we'll delve into some of the distinctive features that make Le Golf National, hoping that it will assist in your preparation for the upcoming tournament.
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An Introduction to Le Golf National
The Albatros Course at Le Golf National in Paris, France is a relatively new course by most standards. The facility originally opened in 1990 under the architectural design of Hubert Chesneau and Robert Von Hagge. In 2015, the course underwent a substantial renovation in an effort to prepare the grounds for the upcoming French Senior Open and eventually the 2018 Ryder Cup.
The design, while not overly long, presents several challenging aspects despite only being 7,174 yards. One of the goals of the renovation in 2015 was to continue to build upon the stadium-style aspects that Chesneau and Von Hagge had in mind when originally designing the golf course. Thus, Le Golf National solidified itself and garnered a reputation for being a course that was built to host premier tournaments and elevate French golf.
The pinnacle of the clubs existence was certainly when it played at the host venue for the 2018 Ryder Cup. The subtle aspects of the course that made it extremely demanded off the tee box were amplified to the max with input from the European Team contingent. It continues to host the Open De France annually which is more along the lines of the course set up that I would come to expect for the Olympic Games.
Scorecard:
The official scorecard has not been released yet but they have said that the course will be 7,174 yards and a Par 71 for the Men and 6,374 yards as a Par 72 for the Women.
Course Specs
The main thing that comes to mind when I have researched the traits for Le Golf National is position. We will indeed see some low scores, but in order to properly attack this golf course, you have to do so from the correct positions. The rough has once again been graduated, much like we saw at the Ryder Cup, but the distances from the fairway are more generous. The first cut will be a negligible 2.5-inch rough, then a 3.3-inch high section, and finally a brutal 4.7-inch rough as the most penal layer.
That's a big deal. Golf Course Superintendent Lucas Pierre is giving you some room to miss, but if you miss big, then you are screwed. The greens are small and average around 6,458 square feet. There is a good bit of water in play and several greens are well protected by surrounding bunkers, 51 total on the course. The water will come into play on just over half the holes (10). The rough, fairways, and tee boxes are all comprised of a Ryegrass/Fescue blend.
The greens are a Poa/Creeping Bentgrass blend that will be slower than Tour average and could get a bit bumpy late in the afternoons. The course has to host tournaments in back-to-back weeks so my gut tells me that they will be somewhat conservative on mowing and green speeds, careful to not lose the course. As you have seen during the Olympics thus far, it has rained...a lot. This has been one of the wettest years in the history of Paris and with the rain this week, I don't envision the course playing firm and fast.
Statistical Considerations
I have not done this before, but I am going to post the stat model that I ran for this week and the top 15 players. See below for all the stats that I believe are worthy for consideration:
Fun Pre-Tournament Notes:
- Only two players in the field have medaled previously in the Olympics: Xander Schauffele (Gold) and CT Pan (Bronze)
- 32 Countries are represented and the USA has the most athletes competing (4)
- Ben An's parents have won Olympic medals before, both in Table Tennis during the 1988 Seoul Olympics
- Only 4 players are making their third appearance: CT Pan, Ryan Fox, Gavin Green, and Fabrizio Zanotti
- Three players in the field have won the Open De France at Le Golf National: Tommy Fleetwood, Alex Noren, and Guido Migliozzi
- The youngest competitor in the field is Tom Kim
- Both Min Woo Lee and his sister Minjee Lee are competing in the Olympics for Australia.
- Tournament will air on Golf Channel and Peacock at the following times: • Thursday, Aug. 1 – 3 (Rounds 1 – 3) 3:00a – 12:00p ET
• Sunday, Aug. 5 (Final Round) 3:00a – 12:30p ET (Medal Ceremony in final 30
minutes)
Good luck and enjoy the 2024 Olympics at Le Golf National!
