Lexi Thompson returns to Olympic action at Kasumigaseki Country Club outside of Tokyo.
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We’ve officially reached the halfway point of the 2021 Olympic Golf competition. As Xander Schauffele, Rory Sabbatini and CT Pan ride off into the sunset as the newest medal winners in the men’s competition, the women are making their way to Kasumigaseki Country Club for what promises to be the grand finale for golf at its second Olympics of the modern era. Four days and 72 holes of strokeplay greet the 60 entrants into this year’s Games, who represent more than 30 countries and many of the biggest names in the women’s golf world.
Unlike the men’s game, which struggled to find representation from the top end of the Official World Golf Rankings and was missing the World No. 1 after Jon Rahm’s positive Covid-19 test, the women’s tournament is overflowing with top-end participation. Each of the top 10 players in the world by Rolex Ranking are among those set to compete for gold in Tokyo.
The top player on that list, the United States’ Nelly Korda, enters the week looking for her fourth win in 2021. Korda enters as the presumptive favorite after claiming her first major championship at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club in late June. She will compete alongside her sister, Jessica, Danielle Kang and Lexi Thompson for the U.S. team.
All three of the medal-winners from the 2016 Games in Rio will be back in the field in Tokyo, including South Korea’s Inbee Park, New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and China’s Shanshan Feng. Elsewhere, Minjee Lee enters the Olympics riding a wave of positive momentum following her victory at the Evian Championship just a week ago.
Below, find the complete list of pariticipants for the women’s tournament included with each of the countries they will represent. Play begins on Wednesday locally (Tuesday evening for those stateside) on Golf Channel, where it will air for all four days of coverage.
James Colgan is a news and features editor at GOLF, writing stories for the website and magazine. He manages the Hot Mic, GOLF’s media vertical, and utilizes his on-camera experience across the brand’s platforms. Prior to joining GOLF, James graduated from Syracuse University, during which time he was a caddie scholarship recipient (and astute looper) on Long Island, where he is from. He can be reached at james.colgan@golf.com.