The favorites to win gold in the Olympic Men’s Golf Competition will have a distinct advantage when the competition begins Thursday at Le Golf National about 25 minutes outside of Paris.

The course also played host to the 2018 Ryder Cup, where Team Europe led by Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm beat an American squad that included current World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and No. 2 Xander Schauffele.

All four are among the 60 players in this week’s field for the third iteration of Olympic golf in the modern era.

There is a lot at stake this week beyond national pride. The gold medal winner will receive exemptions into all four majors next year as well as The Players Championship and The Sentry, as long as the winner is currently a member of the PGA Tour, along with Official World Ranking points.

OLYMPIC MEN’S GOLF COMPETITION

Location: Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France, Aug. 1-4

Course: Le Golf National (Par 71, 7,174 yards)

Defending Champion: Xander Schauffele

Format: 72-hole individual stroke play event. A hole-by-hole playoff will be used to determine medals in the event of a tie.

Field: The 60 players earned their spots based on the official International Golf Federation world ranking list. Each of the top 15 players in the Official World Golf Ranking were eligible, with countries limited to a maximum of four participants. The remainder of the field was determined directly from the IGF ranking list.

HOW TO FOLLOW

TV: Thursday-Saturday: 3 a.m.-12 p.m. (Golf Channel, Peacock); Sunday: 3 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (GC, Peacock)

Streaming:

X: @OlympicGolf

BEST BETS

Scottie Scheffler (+350 at DraftKings): His six victories this year have all come in marquee events: The Masters, The Players and four signature events. Scheffler has been an overwhelmingly popular choice by the public, which has backed him with 51 percent of the total bets and 32 percent of the money wagered on the gold medal winner at the book.

Xander Schauffele (+550): The defending gold medalist is coming off his second major title of the year at The Open Championship. Schauffele stayed in Europe after the victory, playing golf and unwinding with fellow American Collin Morikawa in Portugal. He has received the second most total bets with 8 percent backing a repeat gold medal performance.

Rory McIlroy (+750): The world’s No. 3-ranked player has officially gone a decade without winning a major, and McIlroy said taking gold this week would rank as one of his biggest accomplishments over the past 10 years. Competing for Team Ireland along with good friend Shane Lowry, McIlroy was part of a seven-man playoff for bronze in Tokyo.

Jon Rahm (+900): The Spaniard is coming off his first LIV Golf victory in the U.K. on Sunday following a tie for seventh at The Open. He enters in great form and is very familiar with Le Golf National.

Collin Morikawa (+900): He hasn’t won since last fall, but Morikawa has been as consistent as anyone not named Scheffler or Schauffele, posting five top-5 finishes among 10 consecutive top-10s. He’s second at the book with 9 percent of the total money backing him to win.

Ludvig Aberg (+1200): The young Swedish star continues to put himself in contention, although he has experienced a few weekend stumbles of late. Aberg is a popular choice at his odds, drawing 5 percent of the total money wagered.

Tommy Fleetwood (+2000): Le Golf National is also the site of the Open de France on the DP World Tour, which Fleetwood won in 2017. He has been backed by 4 percent of the money.

–Field Level Media