Jon Rahm betting favourite for 2020 Olympic Gold
Some might be surprised to discover that golf is a much older Olympic sport than you might think. Although many though that golf was only introduced for the first time at the 2016 Summer Olympics, the 1900 and 1904 Games also featured golf and the 2020 Olympic Games will therefore be the fourth occasion where this sport was part of proceedings.
The History of Golf at the Summer Olympics
At the 1900 Summer Olympics, there were men and women’s tournaments taking place, with Charles Sands winning the first ever gold medal in the male discipline, while he was followed home by Walter Rutherford and David Robertson, with this British pair having competed hard at a Games which was hosted in France.
As far as the women’s 1900 Olympics was concerned, it was a clean sweep on the medals table for the United States of America, with Margaret Abbott, Pauline Whittier and Daria Pratt the first, second and third which highlighted the strength of women’s golf in the US compared to other countries.
The 1904 Summer Olympics were held in the United States of America, with the Glen Echo Country Club in Missouri hosting the tournament and there were two golf betting events during these Games. As far as the individual tournament was concerned, George Lyon triumphed for Canada, with Chandler Egan getting the silver medal, while Burt McKinnie and Francis Newton both landing bronze.
Fast forward 112 years and golf found itself back on the Summer Olympics menu, with Justin Rose the man to make history by winning a gold medal in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, with the Englishman having narrowly beaten Henrik Stenson into second place.
Matt Kuchar was able to claim the bronze medal and continue the tradition of American players winning Olympic medals for their country, while Inbee Park was the winner of the women’s 2016 Olympics, while Lydia Ko claimed silver medal for New Zealand and Shanshan Feng claimed bronze for China.
Who Are the Betting Favourites to Win 2020 Olympics?
Jon Rahm is currently trading as the betting favourite to win the 2020 Olympics, with the Spaniard having enjoyed a vintage 2021 and that includes a US Open triumph which saw him break his major duck in style, while an Irish Open win demonstrated his strong form and he was also high up on the leaderboard in the 2021 Open Championship.
However, conditions will be unusual for every golfer when it comes to the Olympic Games in Tokyo, with Collin Morikawa potentially flying the flag for the United States of America and the 24-year-old is fresh from winning the Claret Jug at the 2021 Open Championship.
Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas and Bryson DeChambeau are other Americans who could compete hard for medals, while Rory McIlroy might not have won a major for a long time although the Northern Irishman is certainly capable of being among the front runners here.