Yin Ruoning. Photo: Xinhua/Reuters

China's golf team, including two men and two women with a mix of veterans and newcomers, will compete for medals in the golf competitions of the 2024 Paris Olympics that will start on August 1.

In the women’s category, China will be represented by athletes Yin Ruoning and Lin Xiyu. This marks Yin's debut in the Olympics, having emerged as a stand-out player despite her young age. 

Born in 2002, Yin has rapidly ascended the world rankings, currently sitting at No. 4 as of July 15. Her breakout year in 2023 saw her winning her first major title at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in June, finishing third at the Kroger Queen City Championship in September, successfully climbing to the top of the women's golf world rankings and becoming the second female golfer from the Chinese mainland to reach world No.1. 

Yin expressed her hope to win a medal for China and is to enjoy her first Olympic experience. To achieve this, she has been actively recovering from a former injury recently to ensure peak physical condition for the Games.

In contrast with Yin's debut, Lin will make her third Olympic appearance. As a veteran of the sport, Lin has achieved many impressive results from a young age, having won five professional championships by the age of 18 and topping the 2014 China LPGA Tour money list, becoming the youngest money maker in the history of the tour. She also made history at the Rio Olympics by scoring the first hole-in-one in the women's golf competition in Olympic history. Acknowledging that this will be her final Olympics, Lin is determined to deliver a commendable performance.

Notably, this combination of a "promising rookie" and a "veteran" creates high hopes for winning a medal.

In the men's competition, China will be represented by Yuan Yechun and Dou Zecheng. Yuan, participating in his second Olympics, has bolstered his world ranking to No.155 after a good year of strong performances in tournaments such as the Sony Open in Hawaii. Dou’s qualification journey has been arduous, culminating in earning sufficient points through active tournament participation over recent month.

Among other competing teams, the US team is particularly strong with both world No.1 Scottie Scheffler and defending Olympic champion Xander Schauffele competing. Scheffler has won the Masters twice in three years, and the gap between him and other players in the world rankings is the largest since renowned golf player Tiger Woods peak. 

Compared to the Rio and Tokyo Olympics, the golf competitions at the Paris Olympics has garnered greater interest. In the past two Olympics, some players opted to participate in other important tournaments or were affected by the virus and did not attend. The Paris Olympics, however, have swept away this "gloom", with only a few qualified athletes opting out. 

After a 112-year hiatus, golf returned to the Olympic family at the Rio Olympics in 2016. In Paris, the golf competitions will award gold medals in both men's and women's individual events, with 60 players competing in each category. It will take place at the National Golf Club of France, featuring four rounds of 18-hole stroke play.

Global Times