Olympic golf to get a mixed-team event for the 2028 Los Angeles Games
Mixed teams are coming to golf at the Los Angeles Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee made it official Wednesday when it released the official program for the 2028 Games, in which female athletes are expected to have a slight majority for the first time.
Golf only returned to the Olympic program at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games after a 112-year absence, and it has awarded medals to only one competition — 72 holes of stroke play — for men and for women.
The International Golf Federation had been lobbying for a mixed-team competition for the last several years without taking away too much time from golfers' schedules on various tours.
Still to be determined are how many teams will compete and the qualification process.
'The International Golf Federation is thrilled with the IOC Executive Board's decision to approve the addition of a mixed-team event to the Olympic Golf program," the IGF said in a statement. It said more details would be released next week.
The IOC had an online board meeting Wednesday that was co-chaired in Lausanne, Switzerland, for the first time by Kirsty Coventry since she was elected IOC president last month. She takes over in June for Thomas Bach and will be the first female IOC president in its 131-year history.
The men's competition would start on Wednesday — one day earlier than before — and end on Saturday. The mixed teams would be held on Sunday and Monday, with foursomes (alternate shot) used for one round and fourballs (better ball) the other.
Tuesday would be a practice day for the women, and their competition would start Wednesday through Saturday, one day before the Summer Games come to a close.
The golf competition is scheduled for Riviera Country Club, a revered PGA Tour stop that has hosted major championships. Riviera is to host the U.S. Women's Open for the first time in 2026, and the U.S. Open returns in 2031.
A mixed team event would require only two more days for the players who qualify for the Olympics. It's unlikely any of the top players would be competing the following week at a regular PGA Tour or LPGA Tour event.
Scottie Scheffler won the men's gold medal at the 2024 Paris Games by closing with a 62 at Le Golf National. Lydia Ko won the women's gold in Paris — she won the silver in Rio and the bronze in Tokyo in 2021 — which also gave her points required for the LPGA Hall of Fame.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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