LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The conclusion of the U.S. Open on Sunday marked the end of qualifying for American players in advance of the Tokyo Olympics, and it marked another Olympic honor for one of the Louisville area's own.
Justin Thomas, ranked No. 2 in the world, leads a 4-player U.S. qualifying team for the Tokyo games. He'll be joined by Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau.
The men's golf Olympic competition is scheduled to be held July 30 through Aug. 2 at the Kasumigaseki Country Club, which is about 18 miles outside Tokyo.
The four U.S. players rank No. 2, 3, 4 and 5 in the overall Olympic rankings heading into the game, with Thomas, a graduate of St. Xavier High School and native of Goshen, Ky., taking the No. 2 spot.
While some of the nation's top players said they'd prefer not to disrupt their schedules with Olympic competition, Thomas told Golf World magazine in March that he welcomes the chance.
"I’m ecstatic to have the opportunity to compete in the Olympics,” Thomas said. ". . . I think that would be one of the coolest honors that I’ve ever had. It’s something you don’t obviously get to do too often and it’s probably one of the only tournaments that I would brag about playing in or qualifying for, the fact that I would be able to play for Team USA in the Olympics."
Copyright 2021 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
