Golf at the Summer Olympics

Lore & Background

Golf's Olympic history began with men's and women's individual events in 1900, followed by men's individual and men's team events in 1904. A men's individual tournament was planned for the 1908 London Games, but a dispute among representatives of England and Scotland over the format led to British golfers boycotting, leaving 1904 gold medallist George Lyon of Canada as the only remaining entrant. However, the event was cancelled months before the Games, and no gold medal was awarded or offered to him. Two golf tournaments were planned for the 1920 Antwerp Games but were cancelled due to a lack of entries.

Reader's Guide

Golf at the Summer Olympics has a fragmented history: it appeared in 1900 and 1904, was planned but cancelled in 1908 and 1920, and was absent until its reinstatement for the 2016 Games. The International Golf Federation governs the Olympic tournaments, with qualification based primarily on the Official World Golf Ranking and Women's World Golf Rankings. Since reintroduction, competitions have been 72-hole individual stroke play events with no halfway cut. In April 2025, a mixed team event was announced for the 2028 Summer Olympics, contested between 16 pairs drawn from qualified golfers, using alternate shot and four-ball rounds. The sport's Olympic legacy includes 98 different golfers competing before 2016, with Albert Lambert the only golfer to compete in both 1900 and 1904.

Did You Know?

• A men's individual tournament planned for the 1908 London Games was cancelled months before the Games, not less than two days before.
• 1904 gold medallist George Lyon of Canada was the only remaining entrant for the 1908 tournament, but the event was cancelled before any competition took place, and no gold medal was awarded or offered to him.
• Two golf tournaments planned for the 1920 Antwerp Games were cancelled due to a lack of entries.
• A mixed team event has been proposed for the 2028 Summer Olympics, but as of the current canon, it has not yet been officially confirmed by the IOC.