Higgo, Bezuidenhout qualify for Tokyo Games

23 June 2021 – The International Golf Federation on Tuesday announced the qualifiers for the men’s competition for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, and South Africa’s representatives are Garrick Higgo and Christiaan Bezuidenhout.

The top 15 players qualified, with a limit of four golfers per country that can qualify this way.

The United States is the only country with four players. The remaining spots went to the highest-ranked players from countries that did not already have two golfers qualified.

Click HERE to view the IGF Olympic Golf Rankings

The men’s tournament takes place from July 29 to August 1.

The final rankings for the women’s competition from 4 – 7 August will be released on July 29. Currently, Ashleigh Buhai and Lee-Anne Pace are likely to represent South Africa.

Higgo, who is ranked 38th on the Official World Golf Ranking, is the 17th qualifier on the list, and Bezuidenhout, 46th in the world, is the 20th player on the IGF list.

Should either of those players withdraw, the next players on the reserve reallocation list are Branden Grace, Daniel van Tonder, Erik van Rooyen, Dylan Frittelli and Brandon Stone. Stone, together with Jaco van Zyl, was an Olympian at the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro.

Higgo has had a meteoric rise in the world rankings recently, thanks to his stunning performances on the European Tour where he has won three tournaments. He also won on the PGA Tour in the United States just two weeks ago.

Bezuidenhout won two tournaments in a row on the European Tour at the end of last year when he triumphed in the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek, and the South African Open Championship at Sun City. He is currently campaigning in the United States on the PGA Tour.

New world number one Jon Rahm of Spain leads the men’s qualifiers after his triumph in last week’s United States Open. The top four Americans are Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau.

Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe is the only other African who qualified for the Olympics.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will feature a record 33 competitions and 339 events held across 42 competition venues.

Written by Mike Green with edits from GolfRSA for satourgolf.co.za