Are Women More Invested Than Men in Olympic Golf? World Rankings Indicate That Yes, They Are

South Korea, which fields a team with four of the world's top six players, is believed to have the best opportunity to win gold, but the Americans have world No. 1 Nelly Korda.

The most glaring difference between the women’s and men’s Olympic golf is that the women are significantly more invested in the competition, both in the quest for one of the three medals and what it means to call themselves Olympic athletes.

For example, none of the top women players took themselves out of consideration for the Olympic tournament as men’s world No. 2 Dustin Johnson did in March. In fact, a number of high-profile men said no to Tokyo, including Louis Oosthuizen, Martin Kaymer, Sergio Garcia, Tyrrell Hatton, Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick.

After Bryson DeChambeau was forced to withdraw after contracting COVID-19 in the days before the Olympics, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Cantlay were next in line for the U.S., but both turned down the opportunity. Patrick Reed, the next highest-ranked player, took the final spot. World No. 1 Jon Rahm, like DeChambeau, was forced out with COVID-19.

On the other hand, Charley Hull of England is the highest-ranked women’s player at No. 38 who opted out of the Olympics, whose telecast will begin Tuesday in the U.S. (Wednesday in Japan) at Kasumigaseki Country Club Tokyo. And none of the women -- thus far -- have tested positive for COVID-19.

In fact, it’s safe to say the most disappointed player in women’s golf is Jeong Eun Lee (one of six professional golfers with that name) of South Korea who is No. 14 on the Rolex Rankings but ineligible for the Olympics because of the limit of four players per country, provided all four are ranked in the top 15. Yes, four Koreans -- No. 2 Jin Young Ko, No. 3 Inbee Park, No. 4 Sei Young Kim and No. 6 Hyo-Joo Kim -- are ahead of Lee.

Which, of course, makes the Koreans the favorites -- when are they not? -- in the 60-player field at the Olympic tournament that will be held at the same course the men played last week, although set up about 800 yards shorter for the women.

Leading the Korean foursome is Park, who returns as the 2016 gold medal winner in Rio de Janeiro, winning by five shots. Also, unlike the men, all three women’s medal-winners from Rio return to Tokyo, including Lydia Ko of New Zealand (silver) and China’s Shanshan Feng (bronze).

The Americans were shut out in 2016 and Lexi Thompson is the only returning player from that team. The U.S. is the only other country with four players in the Olympics. However, the Americans are led by the No. 1-ranked player in Nelly Korda, who won her first major this year at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Korda is joined on the U.S. team by her sister, Jessica, and Danielle Kang.

Along with Nelly Korda, the other three LPGA major champions so far in 2021 are in the field, including long-hitting Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand (ANA Inspiration), Yuka Saso of the Philippines (U.S. Women’s Open) and Minjee Lee of Australia (Evian Championship).

Nasa Hataoka carries Japan’s Olympic golf hopes and is one of the players, along with Lee, coming in with the best form, having won the Marathon LPGA Classic in her last start four weeks ago. In fact, Hataoka skipped the Evian Championship two weeks ago -- as did Kang and Thompson -- to prepare for the Olympics.

The 72-hole tournament will be broadcast live on Golf Channel and is scheduled for conclusion Saturday at 3:30 a.m. EDT.

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