Tom Kim joins veteran crew at Le Golf National

Golf

Published: 20 Jul. 2024, 10:15

Tom Kim joins veteran crew at Le Golf National

Tom Kim plays his shot from the fourth tee during the second round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club on June 28 in Detroit, Michigan. [AFP/YONHAP]

A band of familiar names will tee off for Korea at Le Golf National at the 2024 Paris Olympics, taking a breather from the ongoing PGA and LPGA seasons for a shot at gold.

Five Korean golfers, two men and three women, have qualified for the competitive 60-player, no-cut tournament.

Tom Kim and An Byeong-hun will represent Korea in men’s golf while Ko Jin-young, Kim Hyo-joo and Amy Yang play for the women.

Korea's Ko Jin-young reacts after making a birdie during the third round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club on June 22 in Sammamish, Washington. [AFP/YONHAP]

Qualification to the Olympics was determined by a golfer's position on the Official World Golf Rankings, with the cutoff date for the men's tournament on June 17 after the 2024 U.S. Open and the final date for the women's field on June 24, following the KPMG Women's PGA Championship.

Each country could send a maximum of four golfers to the Olympics if they sat within the top 15 on the official world golf rankings, otherwise, each country is allocated a maximum two spots.

Tom Kim ended the U.S. Open at No. 26 on the official rankings with An a spot behind at No. 27. The two of them edged out fellow Korean golfers Im Sung-jae, who ended the weekend at No. 34, and Kim Si-woo, at No. 45.

Kim, 22, is the only Korean golfer making an Olympic debut. An, 32, qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics and finished in 11th place.

And It will be the first Olympics since golf’s return to the Games in 2016 that Korea does not send the maximum four entries in the women’s tournament.

Both Ko and Kim Hyo-joo were at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics alongside Kim Sei-young and Park In-bee. Ko and Kim Sei-young tied for ninth place.

And Yang represented Korea at the 2016 Rio Olympics where she finished just shy of a medal — in fourth.

This year, Ko and Kim Hyo-joo were the only Korean golfers in the women’s top 15 ahead of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, with Yang at No. 25.

But Yang’s Women’s PGA Championship win — her first-ever major victory — sent her up straight up the rankings and landed her a spot in Paris.

Amy Yang is doused after winning the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club on June 23 in Sammamish, Washington. [AP/YONHAP]

Yang is the only Korean golfer competing in the Olympics with a Tour win this season.

Olympic golf is played across four 18-hole rounds.

The men’s tournament will run first while the women’s tournament will take up the latter half of the 10-day schedule

The player with the fewest strokes will win gold, with the second- and third-place golfers earning silver and bronze. In case of a tie, a playoff will act as the tiebreaker.

The No. 1 men’s and women’s golfers, Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda, will be in their respective pools in Paris. Korda is the defending women’s gold medalist. Defending men’s champion Xander Schauffele is also headed to Le Golf National.

Korea has one medal in golf, which returned to the Olympics in 2016 after a century-long hiatus.

Park In-bee won gold in the women’s tournament that year in Rio.

BY MARY YANG, KEVIN CHUNG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]