Here's everything you need to know about 2024 Men's Olympic Golf PrizePicks plays for Thursday for this week's Olympic Games in Paris.
For just the third Olympic Games since 1904, there's a Men's Olympic Golf event that features an abundance of the world's best talent battling for a gold medal. The Albatros Course at Le Golf National hosts the Olympic Games this year in Paris.
Le Golf National is a par-71, 7,174-yard track that has seen plenty of top-level talent walk its grounds. Not only does this venue host the Open de France every year on the European Tour, but it also hosted the 2018 Ryder Cup.
Le Golf National is a difficult track that rewards accuracy of the tee and on approach due to the tight fairways and abundance of links-style bunkers and water hazards. Golfers also need to stick their approach shots close on these large and fast greens where three-putt avoidance will be key.
Find my 2024 Men's Olympic Golf PrizePicks plays for Thursday below.
2024 Men's Olympic Golf PrizePicks
Tom Kim Less Than 69.5 Strokes
Tom Kim enters this week in great form after making the weekend in 11 of his past 13 meetings with a pair of top-five finishes over that stretch. That span includes his runner-up performance at the Travelers Championship, where he took Scottie Scheffler to a playoff in what was a brilliant outing against a field that is even tougher than the one that he will face this week.
Le Golf National profiles nicely for Kim considering that the South Korean has gained strokes on approaching the green in eight of his past 13 tournaments. He has also been more accurate off the tee than the field average in 11 of those 13 outings.
Since he profiles so well for this venue, it should not be shocking that Kim finished in a tie for sixth here in 2023 at the Open de France on the DP World Tour. He shot a 64 in the opening round of that tournament.
Shane Lowry Less Than 69.5 Strokes
I wrote about Shane Lowry in my first-round-leader article this week, and if I like him to lead after the first round, then I obviously also like him to shoot 69 or lower. Lowry enters this week in great form after making the weekend in 16 consecutive tournaments.
The Irish golfer boasts eight top-20 finishes over that stretch, including his team win at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans alongside Rory McIlroy. Lowry ranks 37th on the PGA Tour this season in First Round Scoring Average, which is another reason to target him on Thursday.
This course profiles well for the Irishman to take advantage of his elite iron play, and he has gained strokes on approach in 13 of his past 14 tournaments with ShotLink Data available. Therefore, it shouldn't be that surprising that he has posted two top-17 finishes over his past three appearances at this venue.
Ludvig Åberg More Than 4.5 Birdies or Better
It's not a hot take to say that Ludvig Aberg is the next face of golf. Obviously, he is still so young and is a few years away from the level of domination that we see from the likes of Scottie and Xander Schauffele, but the ceiling is there, and he is already capable of winning such a loaded event.
Åberg has proved that he can contend on the biggest stages, finishing runner-up at the Masters and tying for 12th at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. He even held the 36-hole lead at the U.S. Open as well in his first appearance at that major championship.
This week is all about accuracy off the tee and on the approach due to the tight fairways and and abundance of links-style bunkers and water hazards awaiting wayward drives. Golfers also need to stick their approach shots close on these large greens that run fast, and tight approach shots can help in three-putt avoidance.
This type of course suits Åberg especially well, especially considering that he has gained strokes on approach in 10 consecutive tournaments. He has also been more accurate off the tee than the field average in eight of those 10 events.
For a more in-depth analysis of the Men's Olympic Golf Competition, check out the Links + Locks podcast.
