A month after the Tokyo Olympics were rescheduled for 2021, the International Golf Federation announced Wednesday it has altered its qualifying dates for the Summer Games.
The qualification period, which was supposed to end June 22 (the day after the US Open at Winged Foot) has been pushed back to June 21, 2021 for men and June 28, 2021 for women.
“Having received from the IOC confirmation of the dates for when the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will be held and the qualification principles, the fairest and most equitable way to determine the qualifying athletes was to align the previous qualification system with these new dates,” said Antony Scanlon, IGF Executive Director.
“We are pleased that the IOC swiftly approved these changes to provide clarity on this important area. The IGF will continue to work closely with the IOC and Tokyo 2020 to address the other areas that the postponement of the Games affects our sport and our athletes, to develop the necessary plans to resolve these. We remain fully committed to providing safe and fair golf competitions and a memorable experience for our athletes when these Olympic Games are held in 2021.”
The IGF uses the Official World Golf Rankings to create the Olympic Golf Rankings to determine 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 Olympic 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 guaranteed spot in 2020 and a likely appearance in 2024, but the International Olympic Committee has not committed further. Japan’s Kasumigaseki Country Club will serve as the host venue.
The Tokyo Games are slated to begin July 23, 2021. Exact dates of the men’s and women’s golf competitions have not been announced.
