So today I started wonderin’ about Olympic golf – specifically whether they do cuts like in regular tournaments. Stumbled across this question in my feed and figured, hey let’s dig into this properly.
My Research Steps
First thing, I fired up my laptop around morning coffee time. Typed “olympic golf format” straight into the search bar. Noticed a bunch of articles talkin’ about Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 formats specifically. Clicked through like five different sports news sites feeling kinda overwhelmed.
Got confused at first ’cause some older forums mentioned cuts in early Olympic golf decades ago. Had to remind myself we’re talking modern Olympics here. Scrolled through official Olympic docs next – those PDFs always make my eyes glaze over but persisted. Found the critical bit buried on page 27 of the IGF regulations: “60 players… no cut.” Cleared things up immediately.
Double-checked with Tokyo 2020’s results page. Sure enough, all 60 players showed scores for Rounds 3 and 4. No WD/DQ markers after Round 2 either. That sealed it for me.
Key Takeaways
- Field size is fixed at 60 players total
- Everyone plays all four rounds regardless of score
- Missing cut mechanic entirely – no weekend elimination
- Qualification happens pre-games via ranking points
Biggest surprise? Realizing the entire field size is smaller than a regular PGA Tour cut line. Regular tournaments might start with 150+ guys hacking away, but Olympics? That number is fixed from the get-go. Tried explaining this to my wife later while cooking dinner – she nodded but I could tell she thought golf rules are weird.
Final aha moment came when remembering Tokyo’s chaotic weather delays. Saw replays of guys like Morikawa grinding through Sunday rounds despite being 20+ shots back. Would’ve been cut in any normal event, but Olympics? They kept playing. Really drives home the “everyone competes till the end” vibe.
Kinda refreshing actually. Less pressure than tour life – they get to play all four rounds no matter what. Finished my notes feelin’ like I finally cracked this puzzle.
