The 2024 Olympics in Paris will feature men’s and women’s golf once again after the sport was added in 2016. Xander Schauffele, the 2020 men’s Olympic gold medal winner, is once again in the field and will be looking to add to his medal haul after winning two major championships this season. He is joined on Team USA by world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, as well as major championship winners Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark.

All the participants will be able to tee it up without worrying about a cut, as all 60 players will get to play all four rounds. All players will accumulate official world golf rankings, and the winner will be eligible for exemptions into the four major championships and The Players Championship. If the winner is a member of the PGA Tour, they will also receive an invite to play in the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

The U.S. squad might seem loaded, but the Europeans have a bit of an advantage as the FedEx Open de France is traditionally played at Le Golf National.

The Irish team has only two players, but Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy will be among the favorites for a medal here. McIlroy is coming off a disappointing Open Championship, and Lowry could have won his second Open Championship if he hadn’t struggled so mightily Saturday. Lowry was one of the flag bearers for Ireland, which will no doubt spark his competitive spirits.

The men’s field also features a few former winners of the Open de France, including Alex Noren, Tommy Fleetwood and Guido Migliozzi. Noren and Fleetwood will be among the most played in daily fantasy sports this week with their track record here. Migliozzi and Matteo Manassero form a formidable Italian team that could surprise this week.

The golf course won’t play the same way it does during the DP World Tour, as some holes were shortened for the competition. With three par 5s and four par 3s, the par 71 should be a fair test of golf. When McIlroy was asked whether the rough was as thick as it was at the 2018 Ryder Cup, he replied that the reporter should ask the Americans as he didn’t spend much time in it. The par 3s on the back nine will play no longer than 174 yards and could be where we see a hole-in-one this week. Players will need to be careful on the first and second holes as the greens are protected by water on the left and short of the green. Playing it safe out to the right will make for a tough two-putt if the pins are on the back of the green.

Making a model this week has proved to be a little difficult without all of the statistical information we have on the PGA Tour. I’m concentrating on driving accuracy, greens in regulation, three-putt avoidance and strokes gained on approach from 175 to 200 yards.

2024 Paris Olympics men’s golf gold medal odds

Odds are from BetMGM and update live.

Course information

Course: Le Golf National, Guyancourt, France

Designed by: Hubert Chesneau and Robert von Hagge in collaboration with Pierre Thevenin

Par: 71

Yardage: 7,174

Average green size: Large greens that range from 6,500 to 8,300 square feet

Features: The former flat farm grounds at Le Golf National were transformed by bringing in truckloads of Parisian building materials and dirt to create elevation changes and carve out a beautiful golf course. Water hazards make 1, 2, 15, 16 and 18 play particularly tough. On holes 3-14, players will need to be accurate off the tee as the rough can be particularly hard to play from. Accuracy off the tee was a major factor when the European team trounced the American team at the Ryder Cup here in 2018. The golf course changed as the week went on that year, and the Americans weren’t prepared for it. Scottie Scheffler was quoted as saying the course seems to be soft with receptive greens at this point, but he was warned that the golf course could change if it firms up during the week. With some rain expected Thursday, I doubt the course will change as much as it did during that Ryder Cup week in 2018.

Betting slip

Winner

Collin Morikawa (+1100)

Corey Conners (+3300)

Sepp Straka (+5000)

Top 5 finish parlay

Collin Morikawa and Tommy Fleetwood (+1100)

Top finish parlay

Scottie Scheffler top 5, Xander Schauffele top 10, Corey Conners top 20 (+300)

Top 20 finish parlay

Collin Morikawa, Tommy Fleetwood and Alex Noren (+200)

Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy (-175)

Viktor Hovland, Alex Noren and Corey Conners (+400)

Top European

Sepp Straka (+1600)

Top Nordic

Alex Noren (+350)

Top Oceania

Jason Day (+180)

DFS plays

Scottie Scheffler ($12,500) gained over 11 strokes on approach at the Open Championship and will be kicking himself that he didn’t win because he lost over 3 strokes on the greens for the week. I’m not sure how the Olympic experience alongside his family will change his preparation for the tournament, but I don’t think it should change much. He has been in contention in every tournament outside of the U.S. Open since March. With only 60 golfers in the field, it will be tough to afford him this week, but I wouldn’t fade him.

Xander Schauffele ($11,600) is hoping to win two straight gold medals at the Olympics but will have to deal with coming off the high of winning the Open Championship, his last competitive golf tournament. I am tempted to fade him a bit this week because of the hangover from the win.

Collin Morikawa ($10,200) was a hot putter away from contending at the Open Championship. He gained over 9 strokes ball-striking for the week and has been on a tear since the Wells Fargo Championship. He lost in a crowded playoff for the bronze medal in 2020 and will want to finish even better this year.

Tommy Fleetwood ($9,500) won the Open de France here in 2017 and is coming off an uncharacteristic missed cut at the Open Championship. I like Fleetwood, but his short game has been a struggle lately. He hasn’t gained a full stroke around the green or with his putter in three straight tournaments. The trajectory has me looking elsewhere for my second-highest-priced player.

Alex Noren ($9,000) is coming off of two straight top-13 finishes in which he gained over 9 strokes ball-striking combined over the two tournaments. He won here in 2018 and has an excellent record outside of that win.

Corey Conners ($8,900) finished 13th at the Olympics in 2020 and has quietly had a very solid season on the PGA Tour. He has five top-13 finishes in his last nine tournaments, and he has gained over 3.3 strokes on approach in two straight tournaments.

Hideki Matsuyama ($8,800) lost in a playoff for the bronze medal in Japan in 2020. He has struggled with his putter lately, losing over 9 strokes combined on the greens in his last two tournaments. He has still been great off the tee and around the green, and I believe he is priced a little too low, given his ability to bounce back from those putting woes.

Sepp Straka ($8,500) hits more fairways than any other player on the PGA Tour and hits a lot of greens in regulation. He was a bit of a surprise at the last Olympics as he finished with a top 10, but he isn’t sneaking up on anyone anymore.

Carlos Ortiz ($7,900) has driven the ball really well on the LIV Golf Tour and has two wins under his belt on the year. I would rather use Ortiz on tree-lined golf courses, but he pops in the model I put together.

Abraham Ancer ($7,600) is still accurate off the tee and has gained strokes with his iron play while playing on the LIV Golf Tour. He won LIV Golf Hong Kong and followed it up with three straight top-10 finishes. He hasn’t been as sharp lately, but he has a nice game for this golf course.

Matteo Manassero ($7,000) has gained over 23 strokes on approach over his last five golf tournaments combined. He is hitting almost 77 percent of his greens in regulation over his last 36 rounds.

Daniel Hillier ($6,400) has gained strokes on approach in three straight tournaments and topped it off by gaining over 7.4 strokes on approach at the Open Championship. He’s been hot with the putter lately, gaining over 2.2 strokes on the greens in his last two outings as well.

Kris Ventura ($6,200) has played well on the Korn Ferry Tour this season, with six top-16 finishes in his last 10 tournaments. He can make some big numbers, but he can also make birdies in bunches while making golf courses look very small.

My final prediction

Gold medal: Scottie Scheffler

Silver medal: Collin Morikawa

Bronze medal: Corey Conners

(Photo of Collin Morikawa: Andrew Redington / Getty Images)