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.

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By Daniel Rapaport
He claims this was never the plan—that his decision to take up Slovakian citizenship was motivated by benevolence, not a shortcut to winning an Olympic medal. Which, after a brilliant Sunday at Kasumigaseki Country Club, he has done. Silver, to be exact. Rory Sabbatini’s 10-under 61 saw him finish one shot behind Xander Schauffele, who got up-and-down from 98 yards on the 18th hole to win the gold for the United States.

“It sounds quite amazing,” Sabbatini said of will a medal. “It doesn’t sound like it belongs to me. But crazy game this sport we play. So somehow found that golden egg today and I managed to get something achieved, which I didn’t was possible after yesterday.”

MORE: What makes Xander Schauffele’s harrowing Olympic win such a golden moment

For Sabbatini, the medal is the culmination of a peculiar journey that started back in 2018. Born and raised in South Africa, the PGA Tour veteran now lives in South Florida and is a U.S. citizen, as well as holding a U.K. passport. So where does Slovakia come into the picture? Sabbbatini got married to a Slovakian woman named Martina Stofanikova. Her cousin, Rastislav Antala, then the vice president of the Slovak Golf Association—he has since been promoted to president—floated the idea to his cousin-in-law.

“To support her, to support our stepson, getting my Slovak citizenship is important to them as well as her getting her U.S. citizenship,” Sabbatini said in January 2019, shortly after he received his Slovakian citizenship. “The added benefit was her cousin is the director of golf development in Slovakia, and we thought this was an opportunity to bring more kids into the game of golf because they really haven’t had exposure on a national stage to follow golf.”

“This decision was never made to play in the Olympics. This decision was made to support my wife and stepson and to open the door for golf development in Slovakia,” he said. “I didn’t even know I would be eligible.”

Indeed, under Olympic rules, an athlete with dual citizenship can which country he represents.

MORE: Justin Thomas calls the Olympics ‘the coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of’

Still, the move was widely seen as a strategic one—Sabbatini, a six-time PGA Tour winner who turned 45 in April, would have a much tougher time qualifying for the South African Olympic team. But Slovakia? The nation has just 9,000 golfers and 26 courses. After Sabbatini, who is ranked No. 204, the highest ranked Slovakian is Petr Vasalek at No. 848. He’d waltz onto the team, which is exactly what happened. It quickly became an easy punchline on Golf Twitter; Brendan Porath, a Golf Digest editor and host of the Shotgun Start podcast, gave him the nickname “the Boy from Bratislava.”

The nickname stuck, but the Slovakia storyline didn’t get much play through the first three rounds in Tokyo. Sabbatini simply wasn’t a factor. He began Sunday seven shots behind the lead and five shots out of the medal contention. He then produced the best round in the (rather short) history of Olympic golf, a 61 with an eagle and 10 birdies—including on the final two holes—to post 17-under 267 and take the clubhouse lead hours before the leaders would finish.

Rory Sabbatini celebrates his closing 61 with his wife/caddie Martina. Chris Trotman

“You know, it’s just, it’s funny, because I was out there today and I kept just trying to remind myself, OK, don’t think ahead, don’t think ahead, just enjoy the moment that you’re in because you don’t know what it’s going to end, just enjoy every hole as it comes,” Sabbatini said. “It just seemed like every time I kind of had a hiccup out there I was like, oh, maybe this is the end of the run, but OK. And then all of a sudden, I kicked back into gear. So it was a lot of fun and it was just one of those rare days that you have on the golf course.”

The round finished with a fitting image: with the ball still a few feet from the hole, Sabbatini began aggressively fist-pumping. After it fell, Martina, his tie to his adopted nation and his caddie this week in Japan, jumped in joy.

MORE: The clubs Xander Schauffele used to win the gold medal at the Olympics

The post How Rory Sabbatini, born in South Africa and living in South Florida, medaled at the Olympics … for Slovakia appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Daniel Rapaport
A number of golf’s superstars have viewed these Olympics as something of an obligation. With no fans and onerous COVID-19 restrictions in place, plenty opted to skip the trip to Tokyo altogether. Only six of the top 20 players in the World Ranking teed it up at Kasumigaseki Country Club. And the ones who did play didn’t sound too excited to be doing so.

And then something funny happened: They went, they tested, they played, and they had a helluva time.

“Being a part of something that’s completely different and bigger than me and even our sport in general, that’s a pretty cool thing,” Rory McIlroy said Friday. “So I didn’t know if this was going to be my only Olympics that I play or whatever and I’m already looking forward to Paris [Olympic host in 2024].”

On Sunday, despite not medaling, Justin Thomas gave a similarly glowing review of his experience.

“It’s just, it’s so different,” Thomas said after a six-under 65 to wrap up his week. “It was cooler than I thought it was. I’m more proud of being here than I thought I would be.

MORE: What makes Xander Schauffele’s harrowing Olympic win such a golden moment

“I thought I would be proud, but the first day or two I immediately found out that this is like the coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of. The Ryder Cup is cool, the Presidents Cup’s cool, but this is just so different. I grew up watching the Ryder Cup, the Presidents Cup, the majors, and never grew up watching this, so no one was ever able to relay or say how it felt being an Olympian, especially a golfer. And so it was really—I was never hitting putts as an 8-, 10-year-old on the putting green to win the Olympics and win a gold medal. So I think when you don’t have the ability to dream something, when you get here it’s, it can sometimes just take you by surprise and this definitely exceeded that.”

Collin Morikawa concurred.

“One of the best experiences of your life,” the Open Championship winner said after a 63 on Sunday catapulted him into medal contention. “I’m walking away whether I get a medal or not, I’m an Olympian and that’s what I said from the beginning of the week. But I think what today brought out of me was more than just playing for myself I was playing for our country and I was able to fight and dig deep.”

Here’s to hoping these wholehearted endorsements of Olympic Golf—and an eventual return to normalcy—result in a more star-studded field in Paris 2024.

MORE: The clubs Xander Schauffele used to win the gold medal at the Olympics

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By Ryan Herrington
Rory McIlroy is firmly in the chase for an Olympic medal entering the final round at Kasumigaseki Country Club, a Saturday 67 leaving him just three shots back of Xander Schauffele in a tie for third place. No doubt that has something to do with change of heart he’s displayed this week toward golf in the Olympics.

Even so, the newfound respect for competing in the Games has felt genuine, McIlroy acknowledging he had spoken too soon when in 2016 he memorably noted after announcing that he was not going to play in golf’s return to the Summer Games in Rio, “I’ll probably watch the Olympics, but I’m not sure golf will be one of the events I watch.” And what would he watch? “Probably the events like track and field, swimming, diving … the stuff that matters.”

On Friday, McIlroy sounded like golf also mattered, too.

“I never obviously competed in an Olympic Games, I watched them from afar, but being a part of something that’s completely different and bigger than me and even our sport in general, that’s a pretty cool thing,” he said. “I didn’t know if this was going to be my only Olympics that I play or whatever and I’m already looking forward to Paris [host for the 2024 games].”

MORE: Justin Thomas calls Olympics ‘the coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of’

There was more introspection on Saturday from the four-time major champion.

“I’m thinking about that. I need to give things a chance,” McIlroy said. “I was speaking to my wife last night and saying maybe I shouldn’t be so sceptical. But I think I need to do a better job of just giving things a chance, experiencing things, not writing them off at first glance.”

This isn’t the first international event that McIlroy has done an about-face on after actually competing in it. You might recall McIlroy initially downplayed the Ryder Cup, calling it merely an “exhibition” before playing for Europe for the first time in 2010. Suffice it to say, he changed his stance quickly once experiencing first-hand the passion surrounding the event.

“That’s sort of a trait of mine,” McIlroy said, “but like I’m happy to be proven wrong. I was proven wrong at the Ryder Cup, I’ve been proven wrong this week and I’m happy that, I’m happy to say that.”

MORE: What makes Xander Schauffele’s harrowing Olympic win such a golden moment

The post Rory McIlroy says he’s ‘happy to be proven wrong’ about the Olympics 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

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By Ryan Herrington
With the U.S. Open being the final high-profile tournament for male golfers to earn Olympic Ranking points and qualify for the Summer Games next month in Tokyo, expectations were heightened that there might be movement on the points list among players between and within countries.

Too heightened as it turned out.

When the ranking became official on Monday, no golfer either jumped into the top 60 of the ranking or fell out. (Complete team listings are below.) This occurred despite the possibility of movement existing on Sunday afternoon during the volatile final round at Torrey Pines.

Arguably, the tightest team race entering the final weekend of qualifying was for a spot on the American roster with 10 of the top 15 players in the world hailing from the U.S. The foursome of golfers who ultimately qualified to play in Japan include Justin Thomas (No. 3 in the World Ranking), Collin Morikawa (4), Bryson DeChambeau (5) and Xander Schauffele (6).

On the outside looking were Patrick Cantlay (7), Brooks Koepka (8), Patrick Reed (9), Webb Simpson (13) and Tony Finau (15). Had Kopeka, who finish T-4 at Torrey Pines, won of finished solo second on Sunday, mathematically he would have passed Schauffele to grab the final spot.

A total of 60 golfers will be competing in the 72-hole stroke play format at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Kasahata, Saitama, Japan, about 35 miles northwest of downtown Tokyo. The men’s tournament will be July 29-Aug. 1. Between one and four golfers can compete from any one country, based on their place in the Olympic Rankings, which are a modified version of the World Ranking. All players inside the top 15 qualify so long as they are among the top four players within the country.

While there was no last-minute sneaking into the top 60 on the Olympic list over the weekend, earlier in the month a few players jump in and out of the ranking. Garrick Higgo’s win at the Palmetto Championship allowed him to move past Christiaan Bezuidenhout for the second of two spots from South Africa. In May, Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino stayed home to play on the Japan Tour and used two tournament wins to pass Takumi Kanaya, who was playing over in the U.S. on sponsor’s exemptions, and join Hideki Matsuyama as Japan’s representative into their home Olympic Games.

There was potential for drama as to how the Team GB&I squad would shake out as well. Paul Casey had jumped Matthew Fitzpatrick a few weeks ago in the ranking for the second spot, along with Tyrrell Hatton. Both were in the mix briefly at Torrey Pines, but when Casey finished tied for seventh, his spot on the GB&I team was locked in.

All this said, there is still potential for some roster shake-ups between now and the Olympics. The International Golf Federation doesn’t officially release the updated Olympic Points list until Wednesday, and potentially players in the next few days who qualified might opt out of competing. The harsh reality of strict COVID protocols that will be applied to athletes in Tokyo, including a ban on attending other Olympic events and a requirement to stay in an IOC-approved hotel nearly two hours from the golf course, might cause others to decide to pass on their spot. Among those who have already done this: Dustin Johnson of the U.S., and Adam Scott of Australia.

Prior to his victory at the U.S. Open, Jon Rahm noted that the International Olympic Committee wasn’t “making it easy” for golfers to compete. In addition to the restrictions, a crowded calendar of big events makes taking a trip to Japan in the height of the season a challenge.

“I can understand why a lot of people are prioritizing the FedEx Cup events and great golf events,” Rahm said. “The Olympics are relatively new for golf, and I don’t blame them.”

MEN OLYMPIC QUALIFIERS (World Ranking in parenthesis)
* unofficial list based on World Ranking position; final official list released June 23.

Argentina
Emiliano Grillo (74)

Australia
Cameron Smith (28)
Marc Leishman (43)
Next in line: Matt Jones (62), Jason Day (71)

Editors’ Note: Adam Scott announced that he has taken his name out of consideration for this year’s Olympics. Scott would otherwise be among the top two ranked players from Australia.

Austria
Matthias Schwab (118)
Sepp Straka (174)

Belgium
Thomas Detry (94)
Thomas Pieters (107)

Canada
Corey Conners (36)
Mackenzie Hughes (63)
Next in line: Adam Hadwin (101)

Chile
Joaquin Niemann (31)
Mito Pereira (146)

China
Carl Yuan (291)
Next in line: Ashun Wu (312), Xinjun Zhang (335), Haotong Li (342)

Chinese Taipei
C.T. Pan (181)

Colombia
Sebastian Munoz (67)

Czech Republic
Ondrej Liese (231)

Denmark
Rasmus Hojgaard (121)
Joachim B. Hansen (151)

Finland
Kalle Samooja (117)
Sami Valimaki (122)
Next in line: Mikko Korhonen (195)

France
Victor Perez (37)
Antoine Rozner (78)

Germany
Martin Kaymer (99)
Maxmillian Kieffer (193)
Next in line: Hurly Long (263)

Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Tyrrell Hatton (11)
Paul Casey (20)
Next in line: Matt Fitzpatrick (21), Lee Westwood (27), Tommy Fleetwood (33), Justin Rose (44), Robert MacIntyre (50)

Ireland
Rory McIlroy (10)
Shane Lowry (42)
Next in line: Padraig Harrington (158), Graeme McDowell (163)

Italy
Guido Migliozzi (72)
Francesco Molinari (133)
Next in line: Renato Paratore (180)

Japan
Hideki Matsuyama (16)
Rikuya Hoshino (76)
Next in line: Takumi Kanaya (85), Shugo Imahira (135), Ryo Ishikawa (156)

Malaysia
Gavin Kyle Green (286)

Mexico
Abraham Ancer (23)
Carlos Ortiz (53)

The Netherlands
Joost Luiten (177)
Wil Besseling (221)

New Zealand
Ryan Fox (178)

Norway
Viktor Hovland (14)
Kristian K. Johannessen (292)

Paraguay
Fabrizio Zanotti (280)

The Philippines
Juvic Pagunsan (216)

Poland
Adrian Meronk (189)

Puerto Rico
Rafael Campos (281)

Slovakia
Rory Sabbatini (167)

South Africa
Louis Oosthuizen (12)
Garrick Higgo (39)
Next in line: Christiaan Bezuidenhout (46), Branden Grace (60), Daniel von Tonder (79), Erik van Rooyen (87), Dylan Frittelli (88)

South Korea
Sungjae Im (26)
Si Woo Kim (49)
Next in line: K.H. Lee (66), Joohyung Kim (124), Byeong Hun An (134)

Spain
Jon Rahm (1)
Sergio Garcia (48)
Next in line: Rafa Cabrera-Bello (140), Adi Arnaus (147)

Sweden
Alex Noren (93)
Henrik Norlander (136)
Next in line: Henrik Stenson (155), Marcus Kinhult (176)

Thailand
Jazz Janewattananond (129)
Gunn Chareonkul (260)

United States
Justin Thomas (3)
Collin Morikawa (4)
Bryson DeChambeau (5)
Xander Schauffele (6)
Next in line: Patrick Cantlay (7), Brooks Koepka (8), Patrick Reed (9), Webb Simpson (13), Tony Finau (15)

EDITOR’S NOTE: Despite being the No. 2 ranked player in the world, and thus would qualify for the U.S. team, Dustin Johnson is not listed in the official Olympic Rankings because in 2020 he said that he would not compete in the games.

Venezuela
Jhonattan Vegas (130)

Zimbabwe
Scott Vincent (237)

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While that hope may one day manifest, it will not be in 2020.

According to the Golf Channel, players received notice on Monday that the qualification process for both the men’s and women’s competitions will remain unchanged for the Tokyo Games, as will the stroke-play format.

Qualification begins on July 1, 2018, and will end on June 22, 2020 for the men. The top 59 players from the Olympic Golf Rankings—which is fuelled by the Official World Golf Ranking—will earn an invitation to Japan. The host country is guaranteed a spot in the field.

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