Pelley will serve as Chairman of the IGF from 2023-2027, while World Golf Hall of Fame Member Annika Sörenstam, the 10-time Major Champion and host of the Volvo Cars Scandinavian Mixed, was also re-elected as IGF President.

The IGF was founded in 1958 and is the recognised International Federation within the Olympic and Paralympic Movement.

Pelley said: “I am very honoured to accept this important and prestigious role and I look forward to working with Annika and Antony Scanlon, the IGF’s Executive Director, as well as the individual member Federations and Tours, to continue to develop our sport globally.

“I have always said that I believe golf is the most inclusive of all sports and the IGF, through its relationships with these member organisations and the Olympic and Paralympic Movement, undoubtedly has an important part to play in promoting this internationally and showcasing golf as a sport for all.”

Antony Scanlon, Executive Director of the IGF, added: “We are grateful for the leadership of Keith Pelley and Annika Sörenstam as we continue to encourage the international development of the sport of golf.

“As two prominent members in the international golf landscape, Keith and Annika will bring extensive experience and knowledge to our overall strategy and we are thrilled to have them in these key roles. I also want to thank PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan for his tenure as the IGF Chairman and we’re delighted to have him continue on the Board moving forward.”

In August 2015, Pelley became the fourth Chief Executive in the 50 year history of the European Tour group, which incorporates the DP World Tour, the European Challenge Tour, the Legends Tour and the G4D Tour, and is the Managing Partner of the Ryder Cup in Europe.

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By Ryan Herrington
It was toasty at Kasumigaseki Country Club last week during the men’s Olympic tournament, but not like it was for the opening round of the women’s competition. Temperatures climbed to the high 90s with the heat index hitting 110 degrees as players and caddies struggled to stay hydrated.

“It was definitely probably the hottest I’ve ever been on a golf course and that’s saying a lot. I’ve won in Thailand and I’ve won in Malaysia,” said Jessica Korda, who shot an opening-round 71 to sit five off the lead. “This is a whole another beast of heat when you feel it radiating inside the cups, you know it’s pretty hot out there. So just trying to stay present was the goal today.”

Unfortunately, the weather forecast suggests the conditions won’t let up for the second round on Thursday—97 degrees is the predicted high—with the potential for other problems later in the week. A tropical storm off the coast of Japan is expected to arrive late Friday and produce thunderstorms throughout the day on Saturday—the scheduled final round— and Sunday. The forecast calls for an 85 percent chance of rain on Saturday and 60 percent chance on Sunday.

Due to the pending storms, the tournament committee overseen by the International Golf Federation has sent an advisory to players notifying them that the competition could be reduced to 54 holes. No official decision has been made, as the committee will continue to evaluate the situation during and after the second round.

Approaching storm forces officials at the #Olympics to consider 54-hole finish to women’s competition. pic.twitter.com/mklwVYs3Li

— Rex Hoggard (@RexHoggardGC) August 4, 2021

An alternative the committee explored to keep the tournament at 72 holes was to play more than 18 holes on Thursday and Friday. However, because of the heat issues, medical staffers have advised against that.

The notice is surely important for the field to be aware of as players compete in the second round. In all likelihood, the tournament will be shortened, meaning there’s less time to make up ground if you’re farther down the leader board on Day 1.

The post Olympic women’s tournament could be cut to 54 holes due to pending weekend thunderstorms appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

As was the case with the men’s Olympic competition, International Golf Federation officials have appropriately given the honour of hitting the opening tee shot of the 2021 Olympic women’s golf tournament to a native of the host country.

Japan’s Mone Inami will be the first player off when the women’s event begins on Wednesday at Kasumigaseki Country Club at 7:30 a.m. local time (6:30 p.m. eastern time Wednesday in the U.S.). Inami will be playing in the threesome with Maria Fassi of Mexico and Albane Valenzuela of Switzerland. (Side note: You might recall that Sepp Straka was in the opening pairing of the men’s tournament and shot a 63 to take the early lead last week.)

There are several interesting pairings to follow, most notably the threesome of Inbee Park, Lydia Ko and Shanshan Feng that tees off on Day 1 at 7:25 p.m. Tuesday night U.S. time. The trio from South Korea, New Zealand and China won gold, silver and bronze at the 2016 Rio Games.

As for the four Americans competing in the women’s event, World No. 1 Nelly Korda tees off at 7:14 p.m. Wednesday night U.S. time (paired with Nasa Hataoka and Jin Young Ko), with Lexi Thompson following her at 7:25 p.m. (with Brooke Henderson and U.S. Women’s Open champ Yuka Saso). Jessica Korda tees off at 9:03 p.m. and Danielle Kang has a 9:36 p.m. tee time.

ANA Inspiration winner Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand and Amundi Evian Championship winner Minjee Lee of Australia are paired together along with 2020 AIG Women’s British Open winner Sophia Popov. They tee off at 9:14 p.m. Tuesday in the U.S.

Here are all the first and second round tee times at Kasumigaseki Country Club:

ROUND 1
First Tee

7:30 a.m./6:30 p.m.
Mone INAMI, Japan
Maria FASSI, Mexico
Albane VALENZUELA, Switzerland

7:41 a.m./6:41 p.m.
Kelly TAN, Malaysia
Alena SHARP, Canada
Anne VAN DAM, The Netherlands

7:52 a.m./6:52 p.m.
Leona MAGUIRE, Ireland
Bianca PAGDANGANAN, Philippines
Matilda CASTREN, Finland

8:03 a.m./7:03 p.m.
Mel REID, Great Britain
Caroline MASSON, Germany
Anna NORDQVIST, Sweden

8:14 a.m./7:14 p.m.
Nasa HATAOKA, Japan
Jin Young KO, South Korea
Nelly KORDA, USA

8:25 a.m./7:25 p.m.
Brooke HENDERSON, Canada
Lexi THOMPSON, USA
Yuka SASO, Philippines

8:41 a.m./7:41 p.m.
Inbee PARK, South Korea
Lydia KO, New Zealand
Shanshan FENG, China

8:52 a.m./7:52 p.m.
Sanna NUUTINEN, Finland
Maria TORRES, Puerto Rico
Tiffany CHAN, Hong Kong

9:03 a.m./8:03 p.m.
Klara SPILKOVA, Czech Republic
Manon DE ROEY, Belgium
Christine WOLF, Austria

9:14 a.m./8:14 p.m.
Maha HADDIOUI, Morocco
Lucrezia COLOMBOTTO ROSSO, Italy
Daniela DARQUEA, Ecuador

9:25 a.m./8:25 p.m.
Nanna KOERSTZ MADSEN, Denmark
Aditi ASHOK, India
Giulia MOLINARO, Italy

9:36 a.m./8:36 p.m.
Wei-Ling HSU, Chinese Taipei
Azahara MUNOZ, Spain
Jodi EWART SHADOFF, Great Britain

9:47 a.m./8:47 p.m.
Xiyu LIN, China
Emily Kristine PEDERSEN, Denmark
Madelene SAGSTROM, Sweden

10:03 a.m./9:03 p.m.
Jessica KORDA, USA
Celine BOUTIER, France
Gaby LOPEZ, Mexico Gaby Mexico

10:14 a.m./9:14 p.m.
Minjee LEE, Australia
Patty TAVATANAKIT, Thailand
Sophia POPOV, Germany

10:25 a.m./9:25 p.m.
Ariya JUTANUGARN, Thailand
Hyojoo KIM, South Korea
Carlota CIGANDA, Spain

10:36 a.m./9:36 p.m.
Danielle KANG, USA
Hannah GREEN, Australia
Sei Young KIM, South Korea

10:47 a.m./9:47 p.m.
Min LEE, Chinese Taipei
Stephanie MEADOW, Ireland
Perrine DELACOUR, France

10:58 a.m./9:58 p.m.
Mariajo URIBE, Colombia
Pia BABNIK, Slovenia
Magdalena SIMMERMACHER, Argentina

11:09 a.m./10:09 p.m.
Diksha DAGAR, India
Kim METRAUX, Switzerland
Tonje DAFFINRUD, Norway

ROUND 2
First Tee

7:30 a.m./6:30 p.m.
Nanna KOERSTZ MADSEN, Denmark
Aditi ASHOK, India
Giulia MOLINARO, Italy

7:41 a.m./6:41 p.m.
Wei-Ling HSU, Chinese Taipei
Azahara MUNOZ, Spain
Jodi EWART SHADOFF, Great Britain

7:52 a.m./6:52 p.m.
Xiyu LIN, China
Emily Kristine PEDERSEN, Denmark
Madelene SAGSTROM, Sweden

8:03 a.m./7:03 p.m.
Jessica KORDA, USA
Celine BOUTIER, France
Gaby LOPEZ, Mexico Gaby Mexico

8:14 a.m./7:14 p.m.
Minjee LEE, Australia
Patty TAVATANAKIT, Thailand
Sophia POPOV, Germany

8:25 a.m./7:25 p.m.
Ariya JUTANUGARN, Thailand
Hyojoo KIM, South Korea
Carlota CIGANDA, Spain

8:41 a.m./7:41 p.m.
Danielle KANG, USA
Hannah GREEN, Australia
Sei Young KIM, South Korea

8:52 a.m./7:52 p.m.
Min LEE, Chinese Taipei
Stephanie MEADOW, Ireland
Perrine DELACOUR, France

9:03 a.m./8:03 p.m.
Mariajo URIBE, Colombia
Pia BABNIK, Slovenia
Magdalena SIMMERMACHER, Argentina

9:14 a.m./8:14 p.m.
Diksha DAGAR, India
Kim METRAUX, Switzerland
Tonje DAFFINRUD, Norway

9:25 a.m./8:25 p.m.
Mone INAMI, Japan
Maria FASSI, Mexico
Albane VALENZUELA, Switzerland

9:36 a.m./8:36 p.m.
Kelly TAN, Malaysia
Alena SHARP, Canada
Anne VAN DAM, The Netherlands

9:47 a.m./8:47 p.m.
Leona MAGUIRE, Ireland
Bianca PAGDANGANAN, Philippines
Matilda CASTREN, Finland

10:03 a.m./9:03 p.m.
Mel REID, Great Britain
Caroline MASSON, Germany
Anna NORDQVIST, Sweden

10:14 a.m./9:14 p.m.
Nasa HATAOKA, Japan
Jin Young KO, South Korea
Nelly KORDA, USA

10:25 a.m./9:25 p.m.
Brooke HENDERSON, Canada
Lexi THOMPSON, USA
Yuka SASO, Philippines

10:36 a.m./9:36 p.m.
Inbee PARK, South Korea
Lydia KO, New Zealand
Shanshan FENG, China

10:47 a.m./9:47 p.m.
Sanna NUUTINEN, Finland
Maria TORRES, Puerto Rico
Tiffany CHAN, Hong Kong

10:58 a.m./9:58 p.m.
Klara SPILKOVA, Czech Republic
Manon DE ROEY, Belgium
Christine WOLF, Austria

11:09 a.m./10:09 p.m.
Maha HADDIOUI, Morocco
Lucrezia COLOMBOTTO ROSSO, Italy
Daniela DARQUEA, Ecuador

The post Tokyo Olympics women’s tee times: Starting times and pairings for the first and second rounds appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

A Japanese golfer will hit the opening tee shot of the 2021 Olympic men’s golf tournament. Just not the Japanese golfer you might have expected.

The International Golf Federation has given the honour to Rikuya Hoshino when the men’s event begins on Thursday at Kasumigaseki Country Club at 7:30 a.m. local time (6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the U.S.). Hoshino will be playing in the threesome with Thomas Pieters of Belgium and Sepp Straka of Austria.

Meanwhile, the other Japanese men’s golf in the field—Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama—goes off at 8:41 a.m. local time (7:41 p.m. Wednesday in the U.S.) alongside Australia’s Marc Leishman and Canada’s Corey Conners.

As for the four Americans competing in the men’s event, Xander Schauffele tees off at 7:14 p.m. Wednesday night U.S. time, with Justin Thomas following him at 7:25 p.m. Collin Morikawa goes out at 9:25 p.m. in arguably the marquee pairing of the first two days as he plays Rory McIlroy and Sungjae Im. Patrick Reed is last off for the Americans (9:36 p.m.)

Here are the complete tee times for Rounds 1 and 2:

ROUND 1 (Japan time/EDT)

7:30 a.m./6:30 p.m.
Rikuya HOSHINO, Japan
Thomas PIETERS, Belgium
Sepp STRAKA, Austria

7:41 a.m./6:41 p.m.
Adri ARNAUS, Spain
Sami VALIMAKI, Finland
Matthias SCHWAB, Austria

7:52 a.m./6:52 p.m.
Sebastian MUNOZ, Colombia
Henrik NORLANDER, Sweden
Joachim B. HANSEN, Denmark

8:03 a.m./7:03 p.m.
Carlos ORTIZ, Mexico
Antonie ROZNER, France
Guido MIGLIOZZI, Italy

8:14 a.m./7:14 p.m.
Xander SCHAUFFELE, USA
Abraham ANCER, Mexico
Christiaan BEZUIDENHOUT, South Africa

8:25 a.m./7:25 p.m.
Justin THOMAS, USA
Jaoquin NIEMANN, Chile
Paul CASEY, Great Britain

8:41 a.m./7:41 p.m.
Hideki MATSUYAMA, Japan
Marc LEISHMAN, Australia
Corey CONNERS, Canada

8:52 a.m./7:52 p.m.
C.T. PAN, Chinese Taipei
Ryan FOX, New Zealand
Anirban LAHIRI, India

9:03 a.m./8:03 p.m.
Hurly LONG, Germany
Yechun YUAN, China
Gavin GREEN, Malasya

9:14 a.m./8:14 p.m.
K.K. JOHANNESSEN, Norway
Adrian MERONK, Poland
Gunn CHAROENKUL, Thailand

9:25 a.m./8:25 p.m.
Rory SABBATINI, Slovakia
Mito PEREIRA, Chile
Renato PARATORE, Italy

9:36 a.m./8:36 p.m.
Jhonattan VEGAS, Venezuela
Thomas DETRY, Belgium
Kalle SAMOOJA, Finland

9:47 a.m./8:47 p.m.
Mackenzie HUGHES, Canada
Alex NOREN, Sweden
Jazz JANEWATTANANOND, Thailand

10:03 a.m./9:03 p.m.
Rasmus HOJGAARD, Denmark
Romain LANGASQUE, France
Si Woo Kim, South Korea

10:14 a.m./9:14 p.m.
Viktor HOVLAND, Norway
Cameron SMITH, Australia
Garrick HIGGO, South Africa

10:25 a.m./9:25 p.m.
Collin MORIKAWA, USA
Rory McILROY, Ireland
Sungjae IM, South Korea

10:36 a.m./9:36 p.m.
Patrick REED, USA
Tommy FLEETWOOD, Great Britain
Shane LOWRY, Ireland

10:47 a.m./9:47 p.m.
Rafael CAMPOS, Puerto Rico
Max KIEFFER, Germany
Ashun WU, China

10:58 a.m./9:58 p.m.
Fabrizio ZANOTTI, Paraguay
Juvic PAGUNSAN, Philippines
Scott VINCENT, Zimbabwe

11:09 a.m./10:09 p.m.
Udayan MANE, India
Ondrej LIESER, Czech Republic
Jorge CAMPILLO, Spain

ROUND 2

7:30 a.m./6:30 p.m.
Rory SABBATINI, Slovakia
Mito PEREIRA, Chile
Renato PARATORE, Italy

7:41 a.m./6:41 p.m.
Jhonattan VEGAS, Venezuela
Thomas DETRY, Belgium
Kalle SAMOOJA, Finland

7:52 a.m./6:52 p.m.
Mackenzie HUGHES, Canada
Alex NOREN, Sweden
Jazz JANEWATTANANOND, Thailand

8:03 a.m./7:03 p.m.
Rasmus HOJGAARD, Denmark
Romain LANGASQUE, France
Si Woo Kim, South Korea

8:14 a.m./7:14 p.m.
Viktor HOVLAND, Norway
Cameron SMITH, Australia
Garrick HIGGO, South Africa

8:25 a.m./7:25 p.m.
Collin MORIKAWA, USA
Rory McILROY, Ireland
Sungjae IM, South Korea

8:41 a.m./7:41 p.m.
Patrick REED, USA
Tommy FLEETWOOD, Great Britain
Shane LOWRY, Ireland

8:52 a.m./7:52 p.m.
Rafael CAMPOS, Puerto Rico
Max KIEFFER, Germany
Ashun WU, China

9:03 a.m./8:03 p.m.
Fabrizio ZANOTTI, Paraguay
Juvic PAGUNSAN, Philippines
Scott VINCENT, Zimbabwe

9:14 a.m./8:14 p.m.
Udayan MANE, India
Ondrej LIESER, Czech Republic
Jorge CAMPILLO, Spain

9:25 a.m./8:25 p.m.
Rikuya HOSHINO, Japan
Thomas PIETERS, Belgium
Sepp STRAKA, Austria

9:36 a.m./8:36 p.m.
Adri ARNAUS, Spain
Sami VALIMAKI, Finland
Matthias SCHWAB, Austria

9:47 a.m./8:47 p.m.
Sebastian MUNOZ, Colombia
Henrik NORLANDER, Sweden
Joachim B. HANSEN, Denmark

10:03 a.m./9:03 p.m.
Carlos ORTIZ, Mexico
Antonie ROZNER, France
Guido MIGLIOZZI, Italy

10:14 a.m./9:14 p.m.
Xander SCHAUFFELE, USA
Abraham ANCER, Mexico
Christiaan BEZUIDENHOUT, South Africa

10:25 a.m./9:25 p.m.
Justin THOMAS, USA
Jaoquin NIEMANN, Chile
Paul CASEY, Great Britain

10:36 a.m./9:36 p.m.
Hideki MATSUYAMA, Japan
Marc LEISHMAN, Australia
Corey CONNERS, Canada

10:47 a.m./9:47 p.m.
C.T. PAN, Chinese Taipei
Ryan FOX, New Zealand
Anirban LAHIRI, India

10:58 a.m./9:58 p.m.
Hurly LONG, Germany
Yechun YUAN, China
Gavin GREEN, Malasya

11:09 a.m./10:09 p.m.
K.K. JOHANNESSEN, Norway
Adrian MERONK, Poland
Gunn CHAROENKUL, Thailand

The post Tokyo Olympics men’s tee times: Starting times and pairings for the first and second round appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Ryan Herrington
A second major champion in men’s golf has tested positive for COVID-19 and won’t be able to compete in this week’s Olympic men’s tournament.

The International Golf Federation announced on Sunday that Jon Rahm was in the midst of the final testing protocol before leaving for Tokyo when he tested positive. According to the Spanish Olympic Committee, this was Rahm’s third test taken before travelling. Because of the positive test, the reigning U.S. Open champion and top-ranked golfer in the world will not be able to compete for Spain.

The news on Rahm came roughly six hours after the IGF announced that Bryson DeChambeau of the U.S. had tested positive and would have to withdraw from the Olympics as well.

Rahm’s positive test comes less than two months after the 26-year-old Spaniard tested positive for COVID while playing in the PGA Tour’s Memorial Tournament. Rahm was in the tour’s testing protocol at the time, testing negative on a daily basis and thus allowed to compete in the tournament. He had built up six-stroke lead at the end of the third round when the PGA Tour informed him that he had tested positive and would be forced to withdraw from the event.

Rahm subsequently was vaccinated and came back with negative test results ahead of the U.S. Open two weeks later, was cleared to play by the USGA under its health protocols, and went on win his first career major at Torrey Pines.

While the U.S. said it would replace DeChambeau with another American, Patrick Reed, the Spanish Olympic Committee announced it would not have a replacement for Rahm due to the fact it did not have “adequate time” to find a replacement and comply with the necessary health protocols required. Spain, thus, will only be represented only by Adri Arnaus in the men’s competition, which begins Thursday at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Kasahata, Saitama, Japan, about 35 miles northwest of downtown Tokyo.

To replace Rahm, the IGF stated that it will use its Late Replacement Policy to find the next available athlete, but did not say who that golfer is at this time.

MORE: Two golfers serve as flagbearers during Opening Ceremony in Tokyo

The post Jon Rahm joins Bryson DeChambeau in withdrawing from the Olympics after positive COVID test appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Ryan Herrington
Bryson DeChambeau’s bid for an Olympic gold at the Tokyo Games has come to a premature end. On Saturday, the International Golf Federation revealed that the former U.S. Open champion had tested positive for COVID-19 in his final screening before leaving the United States for Japan. As a result, he will be unable to participate in the Olympics.

“I am deeply disappointed not to be able to compete in the Olympics for Team USA,” DeChambeau said in a statement. “Representing my country means the world to me, and it is was a tremendous honour to make this team. I wish Team USA the best of luck next week in Tokyo. I will now focus on getting healthy, and I look forward to returning to competition once I am cleared to do so.”

The IGF announced that Patrick Reed will replace DeChambeau in the Olympic field, pending his passing the requisite testing protocol in the next three days before he goes to Tokyo. Reed is playing in this week’s 3M Open where he is tied for 29th through three rounds at TPC Twin Cities. He is expected to complete the tournament and then make his way to Japan. The first round of the men’s Olympic competition begins on Thursday at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Kasahata, Saitama, Japan, about 35 miles northwest of downtown Tokyo. 

“I am so excited to have the opportunity to represent our country and be a part of Team USA in Tokyo,” said Reed, who competed at the 2016 Rio Games and finished T-11. “I wish Bryson nothing but the best, and I know how disappointed he is to not be able to compete, and I will do my best to play my best and represent our country.”

Along with Reed, the U.S. men’s contingent in Tokyo consists of Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele. DeChambeau earned the final of the four spots available for an American golfer by being ranked inside the top 15 in the Olympics Rankings (sixth). Patrick Cantlay, Brooks Koepka and Reed were the next three highest-ranked Americans on the reallocation list. It is unclear whether Cantlay and Koepka were contacted to replace DeChambeau.

Patrick Reed competed for the U.S. at the 2016 Rio Games, where he finished T-11. EMMANUEL DUNAND

“We’re obviously disappointed for Bryson, as we know how much he was looking forward to representing the United States in his first Olympics,” said Andy Levinson, USA Golf Executive Director. “But we’re thrilled that Patrick Reed is excited to play for his country when he is called upon, even with the strenuous testing protocols and he is set to arrive just in time to compete. On a golf course he will have never seen prior to the start of competition. It really illustrates the importance of the Olympics and the value Patrick places on playing for Team USA and for his country. We’re excited to welcome him to Tokyo soon and know he’ll be a formidable competitor for Team USA.”

The post Bryson DeChambeau out of the Olympics after testing positive for COVID-19 appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
The Olympics in Tokyo have been rescheduled for 2021.

The International Olympic Committee, which postponed the Summer Games last week, announced Monday the contests in Japan will be held July 23 to August 8. This year marks the first time an Olympics has been postponed; the games were suspended three times due to World War I and World War II.

“With this announcement, I am confident that, working together with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Japanese Government and all our stakeholders, we can master this unprecedented challenge,” IOC President Thomas Bach said. “Humankind currently finds itself in a dark tunnel. These Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 can be a light at the end of this tunnel.”

For the golf world, that means another tight summer schedule. The Open Championship will be celebrating its 150th anniversary at St. Andrews beginning on July 15-18, and the PGA Tour is expected to finish its FedEx Cup Playoffs at East Lake on Aug. 29.

The International Golf Federation will utilise the Official World Golf Rankings to create the Olympic Golf Rankings as a method of determining eligibility. The top-15 players will be eligible for the Olympics, with a limit of four players from a given country. Beyond the top 15, players will be eligible based on the world rankings, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top 15.

Golf remains a trial sport in the Summer Games with a likely appearance in 2024, but the IOC has not committed further. The men’s competition will be played at Japan’s Kasumigaseki Country Club. Justin Rose is the defending gold medallist.

The post Summer Olympics rescheduled for 2021 appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.