List Of Golf Players Who won Medal for Japan at Olympics

In 1900, golf made its Olympic debut at the Games; it was included in the Olympics again in 1904. Back when it first started off, men and women competed in 36-hole and 9-hole events, respectively, until 1904, when team events took the place of the women's events. Moreover, amateur golfers competed in the Olympics; this regulation was modified in the 1980s.

Technically, golf was also scheduled for the 1908 Olympics, but a disagreement caused it to be canceled a few days beforehand. Also, at the 1912 Antwerp Olympics, golf was added once more but again canceled due to a lack of participants. Golf had been dormant at the Olympics for 112 years before returning in 2016 and beyond in a 72-hole stroke-play format, following attempts to include it on the Olympic schedule since 2001.

Japan’s Olympic Golf Medalists

Japan has won one silver medal at the Olympic golf events. The silver medal was won by Mone Inami in the women’s individual events at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Inami, a 13-time LPGA of Japan Tour champion who was born on July 29, 1999, won the first golf medal for Japan. It falls in the sixth position on the all-time Olympic medal table, consisting of the 12 NOCs who have ever won at least one medal.

In 2021, Inami took home five of her seven Japan LPGA Tour victories, improving her world ranking to the point where she qualified for the Olympics. She birdied the 18th hole in the playoff, which was played on the fairway, and then two-putted for par on the hole she had bogeyed only minutes before when she was tied for the lead in the event.

Although having trouble in round four on the back nine and being tied by both Inami and Ko at one point, Nelly Korda managed to capture the gold medal at the 2020 Olympics. Korda, however, parred the last hole to win the Olympic Championship after Inami bogeyed the challenging par-4 with an approach ball over water.

At 16 under, Inami and Ko were tied for second place and went to a play-off for the silver and bronze medals. On the first playoff hole, the 18th, Inami won the silver while Ko bogeyed. Ko became the first golfer to win two individual Olympic medals, in 2016 and 2020. For the bronze, there was a seven-way playoff, eventually won by Lydia Ko.