Malaysian men’s No 1 Gavin Green has secured his spot in the Tokyo Olympics men’s golf competition despite a recent run of disappointing results.
The 27-year-old placed 56th in the final men’s Olympic golf ranking by the International Golf Federation (IGF), where the top 60 players as at June 21 qualify for the men’s event at Kasumigaseki Country Club on July 29 to August 1. Gavin made his Olympic debut at the Rio Olympics in 2016 where he finished 47th.
“I’ve always been very proud to represent Malaysia and I do so on week in and week out, every time I tee up in a tournament. The Olympics is just set on such a large stage that it is even more meaningful when you get to don national colours,” said Gavin.
“Obviously, I’d like a podium finish. It won’t be easy but I’ll definitely give it my best.”
Malaysian ladies No 1 Kelly Tan meanwhile is solidly entrenched in 41st spot in the women’s Olympic golf ranking and is set to easily make the top 60 at the cut-off date of June 28 who will qualify for the women’s competition on August 4-7. She finished 51st in the 2016 Rio Olympics women’s golf event ahead of compatriot Michelle Koh in 58th spot.
The Olympic field is restricted to 60 players for each of the men’s and women’s competitions, with the IGF utilising the official world golf rankings to create the Olympic Golf Rankings as a method of determining eligibility. The top 15 world-ranked players will be eligible with a limit of four players from a given country. Beyond the top 15, players will be eligible based on the world rankings with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top-15.
