In just two weeks, a field of 60 men will tee off at Le Golf National in Paris in hopes of earning an Olympic medal.
Matthew Fitzpatrick will be among them, as one of two men representing Great Britain. (Tommy Fleetwood is the second qualifier.)
Since golf rejoined the Olympics program in 2016, only six male players have earned medals: Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson and Matt Kuchar won gold, silver and bronze, respectively, in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and Xander Schauffele, Rory Sabbatini and C.T. Pan won gold, silver and bronze in Tokyo in 2021.
There’s no questioning the prestige of an Olympic medal — it’s the pinnacle of achievement in many global sports — but where does the accomplishment rank compared to other major golf tournaments? In the aftermath of his T50 finish at the Open Championship on Sunday at Royal Troon, Fitzpatrick, the 2022 U.S. Open champion, offered his take.
“It would probably be right under there, just under a major,” he said. “I was saying out on the golf course to Richard it’s not something that golf has put on the calendar at the start of the year that’s a must. The four majors are number one, and probably you look at the Race to Dubai, FedEx title, that’s number two, as well as the Players and the BMW at Wentworth. I wouldn’t say it’s always been high on a golfer’s agenda, but this year it is.”
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There are plenty of perks up for grabs for the gold medalist in Paris this year, including exemptions into all major championships through the 2025 season, exemptions into the 2025 Players Championship and The Sentry (for PGA Tour members only), and Official World Golf Ranking points.
This year marks Fitzpatrick’s first time qualifying for the Olympics, and he said it’s an opportunity he’s excited to experience.
“It’s something different, something I haven’t done before, so I’m definitely looking forward to it,” he said.
But if you’re expected a united front with UK reps Fitzpatrick and Fleetwood, Fitzpatrick said that won’t exactly be the case.
“It’s an individual tournament,” Fitzpatrick said. “We’re both playing against each other at the end of the day. He’d say the same thing. If it was a team event, we’d discuss the strategy, for sure we would. Yeah, I think we’re both just looking forward to the experience.”
The men’s golf portion of the Olympics will be played August 1-4, while the women will play afterward, August 7-10.
