Indian golfers are gearing up for the Paris Olympics with Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar securing their spots in the women’s category. Ashok, who will be making her third Olympic appearance, is India’s most experienced golfer at the Games, having finished fourth in Tokyo 2020. Dagar, meanwhile, will be competing in her second Olympics.
Indian golfing ace Shubhankar Sharma and Gaganjeet Bhullar, who have had a strong start to 2024, are also eyeing Olympic qualification. Sharma, who has been consistently performing well on the Asian Tour and the DP World Tour, will be hoping to make his Olympic debut. Bhullar, known for his impressive performances on the Indian Tour, will also be looking to secure his place in the Indian contingent for Paris.
India’s best performance at the Olympics in golf came from Ashok, who finished fourth in the 2020 Tokyo Games. The qualification process for the Olympics is based on rankings, with a maximum of 60 men and 60 women allowed to compete. The top 15 players in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) qualify automatically, with a maximum of four golfers allowed from a single country.
Meanwhile, two Indian-American golfers, Sahith Theegala and Akshay Bhatia, have made waves on the PGA Tour and have reached career-high rankings this week. However, they are not eligible to represent India at the Olympics as they are not in the top 15 of the world rankings, which currently features eight Americans.
Among Indian women, Ashok remains in the top 50 despite a modest 2024 so far. Dagar has been in solid form, finishing in the top 10 thrice in five starts on the Ladies European Tour and tied-26 or better in her two starts on the Epson Tour.
In the men’s section, Sharma is the lone Indian in the top 200 and has a best finish of tied-seventh at the Singapore Classic and tied-16 at the Dubai Desert Classic. Bhullar’s best in 2024 has been a tied-43 in Oman on the Asian Tour, but he won once at the Chandigarh Open on the Indian Tour, his second win in four months in India.
The Indian Golf Union will send the Olympic entries, and qualification will be determined by rankings as per the Official World Golf Rankings. The top 15 players in the OWGR are eligible for the Olympics, with a maximum limit of four golfers allowed from a single country. The Olympic Golf Rankings (OGR) after the top 15 players consist of up to two top eligible players per country, as long as it does not have at least two golfers in the top 15.
