The Int'l Golf Federation has established July 11, 2016, as the cutoff date for "qualifying for the 60-player fields in men's and women's Olympic golf" at the Rio Games, according to Dave Shedloski of GOLF WORLD. That is "three days before the British Open," but the IOC, and "not the IGF, set the date." The IGF plan for Olympic qualification is to "use the men's and women's world rankings," but that is subject to IOC approval. The top 15 men and women "would qualify automatically, up to a limit of four from one country." A maximum of two players from each country that "does not have two or more players among the top 15 would be selected from the rankings." A spot "would be held in each field for a player from the host country." Both tournaments will be the "traditional 72 holes of stroke play," with a three-hole playoff utilized "in the event of a tie for any of the three medals." The men's competition will be during the "first week of the Summer Games," with the women's taking place during the second week (GOLF WORLD, 3/17 issue). Using the current world rankings, the U.S. men's team would presently consist of top-ranked Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson (No. 5), Dustin Johnson (No. 8) and Zach Johnson (No. 9) (THE DAILY).
