The Rio Olympic golf fields won’t be determined until July 2016, but it’s always fun to project.
The men’s and women’s fields are set to include a maximum of 60 players each. Everybody in the top 15 of the world rankings come July 2016 will be eligible, up to four per country.
After that, the fields will be filled by the next highest-ranked players with a maximum of two players per nation.
World golf rankings are made up of a two-year window of players’ results, weighing recent results and bigger tournaments more heavily. Therefore, the rankings in July 2016, from which the Olympic fields will be determined, will mostly include yet-to-be-played tournament results.
Tiger Woods would not make the Olympic golf field if the current, year-end rankings hold. He is No. 32, down from No. 1 one year ago and 17th among Americans. It is his lowest ranking since Nov. 26, 2011.
Woods is the first player to drop outside the top 20 after being year-end No. 1 the previous year. The Official World Golf Ranking debuted in 1986.
Phil Mickelson (No. 14, seventh among Americans), Ernie Els (No. 63, fourth among South Africans) and the British trio of Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Luke Donald would also NOT qualify.
Miguel Angel Jimenez, who turns 51 on Jan. 5, would make it. As would Fiji’s Vijay Singh, barely, as the 57th out of 60 golfers. Singh turns 52 on Feb. 22.
Singh and top-ranked Rory McIlroy are the only players with more than two major championships who would make the field off today’s rankings.
The last player to make the men’s field under today’s rankings would be Colombian Marcelo Rozo, who is No. 366 in the world.
The last player to make the women’s field would be Indian Gauri Monga, who is No. 447. There are 137 South Korean women ranked ahead of Monga.
Brazil is guaranteed at least one spot in the men’s and women’s fields, so the lowest-ranked women’s player is currently Brazilian Miriam Nagl, who is No. 570.
Here’s what the men’s and women’s fields would look like if using the year-end 2014 rankings:
Men
1. Rory McIlroy (IRL)
2. Henrik Stenson (SWE)
3. Adam Scott (AUS)
4. Bubba Watson (USA)
5. Sergio Garcia (ESP)
6. Justin Rose (GBR)
7. Jim Furyk (USA)
8. Jason Day (AUS)
9. Jordan Spieth (USA)
10. Rickie Fowler (USA)
11. Martin Kaymer (GER)
12. Graeme McDowell (IRL)
13. Hideki Matsuyama (JPN)
14. Victor Dubuisson (FRA)
15. Jamie Donaldson (GBR)
16. Joost Luiten (NED)
17. Charl Schwartzel (RSA)
18. Thomas Bjorn (DEN)
19. Thongchai Jaidee (THA)
20. Miguel Angel Jimenez (ESP)
21. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA)
22. Mikko Ilonen (FIN)
23. Alexander Levy (FRA)
24. Francesco Molinari (ITA)
25. Koumei Oda (JPN)
26. Graham Delaet (CAN)
27. Jonas Blixt (SWE)
28. Marcel Siem (GER)
29. Anirban Lahiri (IND)
30. Bernd Wiesberger (AUT)
31. Angel Cabrera (ARG)
32. Thorbjorn Olesen (DEN)
33. Brendon de Jonge (ZIM)
34. Bae Song-moon (KOR)
35. Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR)
36. Edoardo Molinari (ITA)
37. Noh Seung-yul (KOR)
38. David Hearn (CAN)
39. Emiliano Grillo (ARG)
40. Prom Meesawat (THA)
41. Nicolas Colsaerts (BEL)
42. Carlos Ortiz (MEX)
43. Camilo Villegas (COL)
44. Antonio Lascuna (PHI)
45. Felipe Aguilar (CHI)
46. Liang Wen-chong (CHN)
47. Wu Ashun (CHN)
48. Rashid Khan (IND)
49. Robert-Jan Derksen (NED)
50. Danny Lee (NZL)
51. Angelo Que (PHI)
52. Siddikur Rahman (BAN)
53. Thomas Pieters (BEL)
54. Mark Tullo (CHI)
55. Chan Shih-chang (TPE)
56. Ryan Fox (NZL)
57. Vijay Singh (FIJ)
58. Jhonattan Vegas (VEN)
59. Adison da Silva (BRA)
60. Marcelo Rozo (COL)
Women
1. Inbee Park (KOR)
2. Lydia Ko (NZL)
3. Stacy Lewis (USA)
4. Suzann Pettersen (NOR)
5. Shanshan Feng (CHN)
6. Michelle Wie (USA)
7. So Yeon Ryu (KOR)
8. Hyo-Joo Kim (KOR)
9. Karrie Webb (AUS)
10. Lexi Thompson (USA)
11. Kyu Jung Baek (KOR)
12. Anna Nordqvist (SWE)
13. Cristie Kerr (USA)
14. Azahara Munoz (ESP)
15. Pomanong Phatlum (THA)
16. Catriona Matthew (GBR)
17. Lee-Anne Pace (RSA)
18. Teresa Lu (TPE)
19. Julieta Granada (PAR)
20. Charley Hull (GBR)
21. Shiho Oyama (JPN)
22. Karine Icher (FRA)
23. Carlota Ciganda (ESP)
24. Sakura Yokomine (JPN)
25. Sandra Gal (GER)
26. Caroline Masson (GER)
27. Caroline Hedwall (SWE)
28. Gwladys Nocera (FRA)
29. Line Hansen (DEN)
30. Minjee Lee (AUS)
31. Xiyu Lin (CHN)
32. Yani Tseng (TPE)
33. Mariajo Uribe (COL)
34. Stephanie Meadow (IRL)
35. Onnarin Sattayabanphot (THA)
36. Dewi Schreefel (NED)
37. Stacy Bregman (RSA)
38. Malene Jorgensen (DEN)
39. Giulia Sergas (ITA)
40. Christel Boeljon (NED)
41. Klara Spilkova (CZE)
42. Diana Luna (ITA)
43. Jennifer Rosales (PHI)
44. Brooke Henderson (CAN)
45. Alejandra Llaneza (MEX)
46. Kelly Tan (MAS)
47. Lisa McCloskey (COL)
48. Maria Balikoeva (RUS)
49. Alena Sharp (CAN)
50. Paz Echeverria (CHI)
51. Fabienne In-Albon (SUI)
52. Noora Tamminen (FIN)
53. Minea Blomqvist (FIN)
54. Marianne Skapnord (NOR)
55. Veronica Felilbert (VEN)
56. Christine Wolf (AUT)
57. Chloe Leurquin (BEL)
58. Margarita Ramos (MEX)
59. Gauri Monga (IND)
60. Miriam Nagl (BRA)
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