Olympic Golf History and the 5 Gold Medal Winners
Although the sport of golf has origins dating back to the 15th century, it has a relatively limited history at the Olympics. Golf wasn’t part of the first modern Olympics in Athens in 1896, but a men’s and women’s competition was featured at the 1900 Games in Paris. There was only a men’s event four years later at the 1904 Games in St. Louis, after which the sport was removed from the Olympic program for more than 100 years.
Golf was reintroduced to the program for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. The decision was made via a voting process conducted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2009. PGA TOUR golfers, including Tiger Woods, lobbied for the inclusion of the sport, while legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus commended the IOC’s decision and its potential impact on the growth of the sport.
“I think it’s fantastic, an unbelievable day for the game of golf,” said Nicklaus. “The impact is going to be felt all over the world, which is what I’ve always felt about the game. The game is a mature game in many countries, but it never had the opportunity to grow in many others. People of all walks of life will be inspired to play the game of golf, and play for sports’ highest recognition. For all sports, that has been a gold medal.”
Below is a look at five individual Olympic golf champions since 1900.
1. Charles Sands (1900 Paris)
Despite being known more for his abilities as a tennis player, Charles Sands became the first-ever men’s Olympic golf champion at the 1900 Paris Games. The American, who held membership with St. Andrew’s Golf Club in New York, shot 165 over two rounds (81 and 84) to win the gold medal in the two-round tournament. Great Britain golfers Walter Rutherford and David Robertson won silver and bronze, respectively.
This was the first of two Olympic Games in which Sands competed. He also played in five different tennis competitions at the 1900 Games and competed in the men’s singles tennis event at the 1908 Games in London. In addition to his Olympic success, he finished in second place at the first US Amateur in 1985 and is the only American tennis player to win the Racquette d’Or.
2. Margaret Abbott (1900 Paris)
The United States scored a clean sweep on the podium for women’s golf at the 1900 Games in Paris. Margaret Abbott finished first in the tournament, while Pauline Whittier and Daria Pratt finished second and third, respectively.
Despite making history, Abbott lived the remainder of her life unaware of the extent of her accomplishment. That’s because, instead of a gold medal, she was given a porcelain bowl for winning the golf tournament. Moreover, she thought she was competing in a city championship.
Abbott’s name was etched on a plaque at the former headquarters for the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee and was discovered by University of Florida professor and Olympic history researcher Paula Welch. After conducting sporadic research over the course of a decade, Welch found out that Abbott had traveled to Paris with her mother to study art and entered the golf tournament unaware it was part of the Olympics. Golf was one of only five sports at the 1900 Games that was open to women.
3. George Lyon (1904 St. Louis)
Known for his unorthodox swing, George Lyon nonetheless won the gold medal in men’s golf at the 1904 Games in St. Louis. A native of Canada, he defeated American champion Chandler Egan in the final round to secure the Olympic championship. Americans Burt McKinnie and Francis Newton shared the bronze medal.
Lyon, who had only started playing golf in 1895, traveled to London to defend his title as Olympic champion in 1908, but was the only competitor following a boycott among British golfers. He refused to accept the gold medal.
4. Justin Rose (2016 Rio de Janeiro)
Justin Rose recorded a hole-in-one on the par-3 fourth hole during the first round of the 2016 men’s Olympic golf competition and carried that momentum en route to becoming the first Olympic champion in golf in more than a century. He was four strokes off the lead following the second round and recorded a six-under-par 65 in the third round to sit atop the leaderboard.
He finished the tournament with a two-stroke victory over Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, who won the silver medal. Matt Kuchar of the United States won bronze.
5. Inbee Park (2016 Rio de Janeiro)
South Korean golfer and LPGA Hall of Fame inductee Inbee Park capped off a strong performance in the 2016 women’s Olympic golf competition with a final-round score of 66 to secure the gold medal. Although she was known as an accomplished golfer with 17 LPGA Tour titles, Park’s victory was somewhat surprising as she had struggled during the two prior months and was recovering from a left thumb injury. New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and China’s Shanshan Feng won the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
