Six LIV Golf players will compete for Olympic medals this summer in Paris.
The Spaniards Jon Rahm (Legion countries as part of the 60-man field at Le Golf National starting August 1. The course was made official on Monday with the final Olympic Golf Rankings.
This will be Rahm and Puig’s first Olympic appearance. The other four LIV Golf players competed in the previous Olympic competition in Tokyo, with Niemann finishing T10, Ancer T14, Ortiz T42 and Meronk T51.
Puig earned his position at the US Open when he made the cut, allowing the 22-year-old to leapfrog compatriot Jorge Campillo in the rankings. Puig has made the most of his multiple outings outside of LIV Golf in hopes of improving his status, winning two Asian Tour events and finishing inside the top 15 in his 11 outings in the Olympic rankings over the past 12 months.
“Proud of myself and all the work I did this year and last year,” Puig said. “All the trips I took, I think they were worth it for moments like this. “I’m super excited.”
Niemann enters this week’s LIV Golf Nashville as the season-long individual points leader, having won twice this season. Three years ago in Japan, he finished one stroke shy of the seven-man playoff for the bronze medal.
“I really enjoyed being in Japan at the last Olympic Games,” Niemann said. “To be able to be in another Olympic Games representing my country… I’m excited to be there in Paris.”
Ortiz is LIV Golf’s most recent individual winner, having won his first title in Houston. He also won earlier this year in the Oman International Series on the Asian Tour.
“I really liked playing in the last Olympics and I think it will be a lot of fun,” Ortiz said. “It’s also good that we play just a week before right next door. “We are definitely looking forward to it and it is always very nice to be able to represent your country.”
The men’s competition is scheduled for August 1-4, the week after LIV Golf UK on July 26-28 at JCB Golf and Country Club in England.
This week’s LIV Golf Nashville features 17 players who have competed in the Tokyo Olympics or the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, when golf returned to the Olympic program after 112 years. Majestick overall co-captain Henrik Stenson won the bronze medal in Rio.
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