The recent success of Canadians on the biggest stages in men’s and women’s golf has been unlike any other time in this country’s history.
And with the Games on the horizon, there’s as good a chance as any to see a Canadian win a medal in golf when the competition kicks off in Paris.
This year’s golf event will take place at Le Golf National, a long-time DP World Tour event host and a recent Ryder Cup venue.
The four Canadians set to tee it up include Corey Conners and Nick Taylor on the men’s side and, once again, Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp on the women’s side.
Henderson and Sharp are both three-time Olympians. There are 15 total competitors in the women’s tournament who have played in both 2016 and 2021. Henderson, who finished tied for 7th in Rio and tied for 29th in Tokyo, will once again be considered a medal favourite.
“It’s definitely a huge stretch, so it would be a great time for the game to really show up and be in a good spot. I feel like it’s definitely trending in the right direction,” Henderson said at the Amundi Evian Championship.
On the men’s side, Taylor is set to make his debut while Conners is returning for the second time.
Conners had a drama-filled conclusion to his qualification. He finished tied for ninth at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, earning just enough world-ranking points to leap-frog Adam Hadwin by one spot for the second Team Canada nod.
“It is going to be a huge honour to represent Canada alongside all the other athletes,” said Conners. “It was a big goal of mine to make the team again this year and I can’t wait to get to Paris.”
“The opportunity to represent my country has been a huge goal of mine for many years,” added Taylor. “To see the news become official […] is quite humbling and surreal. I’m excited to get to Paris to compete, proudly wear the maple leaf, and soak in what I know will be an incredible experience.”
With a laugh, Conners said he saw the official uniform on display in the RBC Canadian Open locker room every day, but he chose not to get fit with his spot on the team, at that time, still in flux.
“It probably was [superstition], yeah,” Conners told Golf Channel at the Travelers Championship. “I did see them, I passed them every single day in the locker room. I knew they were there. They couldn’t hide, they were bright red pants hanging right beside my locker. I figured I’d get my sizing when the time came.”
The men’s golf tournament will take place Aug. 1-4 at Le Golf National, while the women’s tournament goes from Aug. 7-10.
George Lyon won Canada’s only golf medal when he won gold in St. Louis in 1904.
World No. 2 Xander Schauffele is the defending gold medalist on the men’s side while the game’s top-ranked LPGA Tour star, Nelly Korda, will defend her gold medal on the women’s side.
Show your Canada pride by visiting our Red & White Collection!
Or check out everything GlobalGolf.ca has to offer with the Best Deals in Golf