A significant portion of the golf field for the 2024 Olympic Games remains relatively unknown to most golf fans. While the race for powerhouse countries like the United States and South Korea is always interesting when it comes to the Olympic Games, there are many players who are relatively unknown but have a chance to qualify for the 60-player field.
As it stands currently, there are 15 players ranked outside the top 200 who would qualify for the Olympic Games. Many of these players do not have full status on the LPGA Tour. With the qualifying cutoff date set for June 24, just after the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, these players have roughly six months to secure a spot. The women’s Olympic event will be held from August 7 to 10, immediately after the men’s competition.
Here’s a breakdown of how the qualifying process works:
The International Golf Federation (IGF) utilizes the Rolex Rankings to create its own Olympic Golf Rankings. The top 15 players in the world are eligible to qualify for the Games, with a limit of four players from any given country. Currently, the United States is the only country with four eligible players.
The rest of the field will be determined based on the Rolex Rankings, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players in the top 15.
The host country, France, is guaranteed at least one spot, which will be filled by Celine Boutier, currently ranked No. 3.
Now, let’s take a closer look at the 15 players who are currently ranked outside the top 200 in the Rolex Rankings but have a shot at qualifying for the Olympics:
Manon De Roey (Belgium)
Manon De Roey is a rookie on the LPGA Tour in 2023. The 32-year-old represented Belgium in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, where she tied for 46th. De Roey had a challenging season on the LPGA Tour, making only two cuts in 14 starts.
Matilda Castren (Finland)
Matilda Castren made history by becoming the first player from Finland to win on the LPGA Tour. She tied for 18th at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Castren, 28 years old, finished 73rd on the Race to CME points list after a streak of six missed cuts starting with the Amundi Evian Championship.
Daniela Darquea (Ecuador)
Daniela Darquea finished the 2023 LPGA season in 113th place on the CME points list. The former Miami player tied for 38th at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Darquea made 18 starts in 2023, with her last coming in August at the Portland Classic.
Emma Spitz (Austria)
Emma Spitz, a former UCLA player, made her professional debut at the 2022 Skafto Open, where she tied for 10th. She played full-time on the Ladies European Tour (LET) last season, finishing 53rd in the Race to Costa del Sol. In 2018, Spitz became the first Austrian to win the R&A’s Girls Amateur.
Maddie Szeryk (Canada)
Maddie Szeryk is a rookie on the LPGA Tour in 2022. The 27-year-old finished 102nd on the Race to CME points list last year. A two-time All-American at Texas A&M, Szeryk had a notable start to her professional career, making aces in her first and final collegiate events.
Natasha Andrea Oon (Malaysia)
Natasha Andrea Oon finished second on the Epson Tour money list in 2023, earning her LPGA card. The Malaysian golfer collected four second-place showings before capturing her first professional title, the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout, late in the season. Oon, the 2023 Epson Tour Rookie of the Year, played collegiately at San Jose State, where she won the 2022 Juli Inkster Award.
Sara Kouskova (Czech Republic)
Sara Kouskova, a former Texas player, has four professional wins on the LET Access Series, including one in 2021 as an amateur. In 2022, Kouskova became the first Czech player to win the Order of Merit on the LET Access Series. Kouskova finished 55th on the LET’s Race to Costa del Sol last season.
Virginia Elena Carta (Italy)
Virginia Elena Carta, the 2016 NCAA champion, decided to delay her professional career after graduating from Duke University to pursue a Master’s degree at Cambridge. While there, she took part in The Oxford and Cambridge Golfing Society, known simply as The Society. Carta now competes on the Ladies European Tour, which she joined in 2022.
Ursula Wikstrom (Finland)
Ursula Wikstrom turned professional more than 20 years ago at the age of 43. She has one professional victory, the 2017 EVLI Ladies Finnish Open, and has achieved a number of runner-up showings on the LET. Wikstrom represented Finland at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she tied for 44th.
Sarah Schober (Austria)
Sarah Schober, a 31-year-old Austrian player, won back-to-back NJCAA Championships while competing for Redlands Community College before transferring to the University of Florida. Schober joined the LET in 2017. She was offered a spot in the 2020 Summer Olympics after Paula Reto of South Africa tested positive for COVID-19. However, the Austrian Olympic Committee decided not to send her, and the final spot went to India’s Diksha Dagar.
Alessandra Fanali (Italy)
Alessandra Fanali, a former Arizona State player, joined the LET in 2023 after birdieing her final hole at Q-Series to secure her card. Fanali finished 46th in the Race to Costa del Sol, securing five top-10 finishes during the season.
Pia Babnik (Slovenia)
Pia Babnik, a 19-year-old Slovenian player, has two wins on the Ladies European Tour and achieved a third-place finish at the 2022 Chevron Championship, an LPGA major. She earned her LET card at the young age of 16. After a strong start to her professional career, Babnik struggled on the LET in 2023.
Dewi Weber (Netherlands)
Dewi Weber, a former Miami player, earned her LPGA card through Q-School for the 2022 season. In 2023, Weber finished 120th on the Race to CME points list. Her best finish was a tie for 16th at the ISPS Handa World Invitational.
Madelene Stavnar (Norway)
Madelene Stavnar, a 23-year-old Norwegian player, first qualified for the LET at the age of 16. Although she has not won on the LET, she achieved a runner-up finish last year at the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open. Stavnar finished 34th on the LET’s Race to Costa del Sol in 2023.
Dottie Ardina (Philippines)
Dottie Ardina, a 30-year-old golfer from the Philippines, competed in 14 events on the LPGA Tour last season. Her best finish was a share of 10th place at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. Ardina finished second on the Epson Tour money list in 2018, earning LPGA status for the next season. She qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio but withdrew due to the Zika virus threat.
These 15 players have the opportunity to make their mark at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. While they may not be household names just yet, their talent and dedication to the game of golf have put them on track to qualify for one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world. As the qualifying process unfolds, golf fans will be eagerly anticipating the final roster of players who will represent their countries on the Olympic stage.
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