A blended workforce golf occasion might quickly be added to the Summer season Olympics.
The AP studies that Olympic officers are near finalizing a contest involving female and male gamers in a blended workforce format for the 2028 Los Angeles Video games at Riviera Nation Membership.
Golf is already a part of the upcoming Summer season Olympics at Le Golf Nationwide outdoors Paris, the identical venue that hosted the 2018 Ryder Cup.
The game was reinstated for the 2016 Video games in Rio de Janeiro and returned to Tokyo in 2020 (performed in 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic), with 72-hole competitions for women and men. Xander Schauffele and Nelly Korda of america received the gold medals in Tokyo.
In keeping with the report, an announcement for a further blended workforce occasion, with its personal set of medals to be awarded, could possibly be introduced as quickly because the Masters in April.
Particulars concerning the groups' competitors have nonetheless been stored underneath wraps, together with the format and what number of groups will play.
One of many choices being thought-about is 36 holes of four-ball (also called greatest ball), a workforce format the place two golfers play their very own golf ball with the bottom rating on every gap that’s used because the workforce rating.
A blended workforce competitors is already a part of the Summer season Youth Olympics, the place golf was performed for the primary time in 2014. The format consists of 54 holes consisting of 4 balls, and a single level from every male participant and female.
Atthaya Thitikul and Vanchai Luangnitikul of Thailand beat Akshay Bhatia and Lucy Li of america to win the blended workforce gold medal on the 2018 Youth Video games in Buenos Aires.
The PGA and LPGA Excursions held their first blended workforce occasion since 1999 final December on the Grant Thornton Invitational, the place female and male gamers competed in 54 holes of scrambles, foursomes (alternate pictures) and modifieds four-ball. Lydia Ko and Jason Day received the inaugural match.