2020 Women's Olympic Golf Team - Who will Qualify?

[tonyj5]

We are less than six months away from the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

 

Will your favorite player be in the field?

 

Here is a list of all 60 players that would qualify as of today

 

https://www.womensgolf.com/who-will-qualify-for-the-2020-olympics

[Titleist_PT23]

I knew some top players from ROK and USA get left out due to the max four players restriction. However, looking down the list and seeing how far down the world rankings it goes I'm not sure this is the best system. I understand that they want various countries represented but it somewhat dilutes the golf. I guess that's why making the team for some of these loaded countries is such a big deal.

Will be a big bummer if Shibuno or Ai Suzuki falls out of the top 15.

[tonyj5]

Good point. Hataoka is a shoe in. Rooting for Shibuno to hold her place.

[cardia10]

That is the beauty of the olympics. It is a competition between the best few athletes from each county. If you aren’t the beat of the best, you sit at home. It may make it somewhat one sided, but this isn’t a regular tour event either.

[tonyj5]

Exactly!

[AWinfortheAges]

The best of the best athletes from each country isn't the same as the best athletes in a sport in the world. The competition that the Olympics presents is fine, but I dislike that with all of the prestige the Olympics has, it does not seek to provide a competition with absolute best athletes in a sport. For example , Kendra Harrison, a track & field athlete failed to qualify for the US Olympic team in 2016 in the 100m Hurdles. After the Olympic Trials, she set the World Record in the event. I don't know what the likelyhood is, but you could get a Rolex Rankings top 5 all being Korean. Inbee Park could be no. 5 and not make it to the Olympic field.

Track & Field creates a better field in their World Championships by allowing exemptions (or I think they call them wild cards). For example, one of the exemptions is if you're the current world champion, you will have a spot in the championship field if you don't qualify in your country's trials. But even this doesn't create the strongest possible field.

I wish in women's golf, an event would be created(and you'd have to consider it a Major Championship), with a field of the Rolex top 100. Go to 125 or 140 if you want a larger field.

[tonyj5]

It's not a bad idea except that you would have 75 golfers in the field from Korea, USA, Japan and Thailand. There are alot of countries that don't have a player in the top 140 in the Rolex Rankings and therefore wouldn't have a player qualified.

[Titleist_PT23]

I kind of feel like the current methodology adds too many very low ranked players. I am all for more countries being represented. But do Podunk countries A, B, and C all need two players (who aren't very good) vs say allowing 4 in top 15 and then 5 in top 20-25, etc? Inevitably someone will always get left out and the field shouldn't need to just match that of the majors/best tournaments but I think maybe it has swing too far the other way.

[BadgerLin]

Don’t some of the majors pretty much do what you’re advocating - top players by Rolex Ranking?

[Seamus_McDuff]

 

Which country with two currently qualified do you consider podunk?

[tonyj5]

I think he is referring to countries like India. There are 2 ways to look at this. One is to want to have only the best players in the world regardless of how many countries participate. The other is in the spirit of the Olympics, to let all countries participate.

Personally I don't mind the current system. If you want to see just the best players, the LPGA has 5 major championships, you can see them there.

[Titleist_PT23]

I don't want to name any specific countries. Just eye-balling it, everything through the top 35-40 or so spots seems fine. I guess I don't think players ranked 200+ need to get in IF their country is already represented. OK to let one player in, even if ranked 400th, if it grows the country list. But after that I would revert to allocating more spots to the better players. Although I don't know if this mechanism would just replace the currently qualified players with those from some new country that are then ranked 600th, 1,000th, etc.

[AWinfortheAges]

Not quite. US Open and British Open have the strongest fields (if I recall correctly).

Here were the exemptions to the 2019 British Open https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Women%2527s_British_Open&ved=2ahUKEwj-oqCF-LTnAhXIGs0KHRnOD6AQFjAOegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw2MCecPFINRPWUiz3zYiYG7

US Open took top 50 from Rolex; Evian top 40; British top 30

At the time of the British, I recall Yui Kawamoto just missed out, she was ranked around 52nd in the world at the time. She was probably the next highest earner on the Jlpga money list.

[North Texas]

Exactly. Not only is it the beauty of the Olympics, it is what the Olympics are all about. It's that simple. No matter what event/sport, you will have participants that have absolutely no chance to win. But they do have the opportunity to represent their country. Again, that's what the Olympics are about and always has been. Doesn't matter how low ranked they are or what podunk country they are from. Long live the Jamaican bobsled team!

[Sean2]

I am hoping Megan Khang can qualify.

[Titleist_PT23]

For people that support the current system, that system already cuts back spaces for the masses in favor of "Better players.". You just need 3 or 4 in top 15.

So either you are contradicting yourself that it's all about whatever player from whatever country regardless of ranking or you just think this selection of "best players" is appropriate (which is no better or worse on principle than a system that would have a minimum ranking requirement).

When I see people saying ROK or USA should be cut back to two players you can claim to be an Olympic diehard...

[WestTex]

Could it be less formal, and left to each country to decide who their top 4 is - regardless of ranking? If they want to base it off rankings, they can, if they want Olympic "trials," they can? Sure, may impact the tour schedule for the player, but if given the chance I'd pick the Olympics if I were a player. I prefer keeping it open to as many nations as possible though, to me that's the spirit of the Olympics, anyone can catch lightning.

[tonyj5]

It will very difficult for her to qualify unless she gets into the top 15 of the Rolex Rankings. She would first have to get her first LPGA victory, and that might not even be enough. That said, stranger things have happened.

[Sean2]

I have known her since she was 10...in fact we were talking today on the range. She did make the Solheim Cup Team...if she can get into the top 4 of US golfers? One can hope. :-)