Golf at the last Olympics was a leading indicator for two gold medalists: Xander Schauffele and Nelly Korda both reached greater heights in 2024. What impact will the upcoming Paris Olympics have on the world's athletes hoping to challenge the two defending favorites? Can rising young star Yin Ruoning continue China's traditional dominance in diving, weightlifting, table tennis and gymnastics to win the country's first golf gold medal? Can Frenchman Victor Perez continue the golf momentum in the host country from the 2018 Ryder Cup? Can players like Bianca Pagdanganan of the Philippines excite the Olympic fanatic fan base in this non-traditional golf country like India's Aditi Ashok did at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics? We'll meet Yin Tianxiong, Perez, Pagdanganan, as well as Poland's Adrian Meronc and Switzerland's Albane Valenzuela – five players with very different journeys who will travel to the French National Golf Club on August 1 (men's competition) and August 7 (women's competition).
RUONING YIN
21 years old, Kunming, China
Yin Ruoning's breakout moment in professional golf as a teenager was nothing short of stunning. The petite but powerful 5-foot-2 player won her first three professional tournaments on the LPGA China Tour and then won two more titles on the LPGA Tour as a teenager — including her first major at the 2023 KPMG Women's Professional Golf Championship. The moment didn't mean much to Korda until she embarked on her latest journey, which saw her ascend to the world No. 1 spot later in the year. But the Olympics? That's another story.
“It’s already giving me goose bumps,” said Yin, who averages 265 yards off the tee and has top-tier driving and short game skills. “I feel a little bit of pressure going into the tournament because I feel like if you’re not in the top three, you’re out, but I’m just going to try to enjoy it because it’s my first time — enjoy the journey and the process and try not to focus on the outcome.”
Yin’s stellar results in her first two LPGA seasons have made her well-known in sports-loving China: Fans now recognize her as she walks the streets of her mother’s hometown, hoping to interact with the first Chinese player to reach the podium since Shanshan Feng in 2017. Yin is also one of the favorites to expand China’s medal lead beyond traditional sports such as diving, weightlifting, table tennis and gymnastics, even if she’s not quite ready for that possibility.
“It's an honor to represent my country, especially to wear the jersey with the national flag on it.”
Victor Perez
31 years old, Semeillac, France
Victor Perez will be hard to miss in Paris. Standing 6-foot-5, the three-time DP World Tour champion stands out in the crowd, but he will also be wearing his hometown jersey, representing France alongside compatriot Mathieu Pavon. For Perez, the Olympics are the latest in a steady progression from college golf to Europe and then to the PGA Tour in 2024.
Perez played at the University of New Mexico from 2011 to 2015 before working his way up to the Alpine Tour and the European Challenge Tour in 2017. Two wins earned him a spot on the DP World Tour, and last year Perez won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, which helped him lock into the top 10 in the season-ending rankings and earned him a spot on the PGA Tour in 2024. Ironically, leaving Europe to compete may give him more focus and calm as he prepares for the Olympics on home soil.
“It helps to play in the U.S.,” said Perez, who had three top-25 finishes early on the PGA Tour. “You don't talk about it all the time and you're not in the shadow of it all the time. But I know now that it's getting close to the end, the energy is going to start to peak.”
Bianca Pagdanganan
26 years old, Quezon City, Philippines
Is the experience athletes gain at the Olympics really useful when the Games are held virtually in a vacuum, as they have been in Tokyo during the pandemic? Bianca Padanganen fulfilled her dream of competing in the Olympics, but playing in empty, fan-restricted courses with only her ball boy to interact with made her feel disconnected from the excitement her friends felt watching her on TV. Her goal was to get the full experience in Paris, from competing to taking in the sights in and around the Olympic Village.
“Growing up, the Olympics were the biggest stage you could be on. It was surreal to be there, and when you got there, you could feel how big it was,” she said. “I knew I was in the Olympics, but it felt a little weird with all the restrictions and no spectators. I was looking forward to the event, being an athlete, feeling all the fans, and going to see other Filipino athletes compete. I perform at my best when I’m having fun.”
With three years of pro play left, Pagdanganan has played well enough to help Arizona win the team event at the 2018 NCAA Championship and qualify for the Tokyo Olympics just one year after turning pro. Pagdanganan ranks fourth on the LPGA Tour with an average driving distance of 274 yards, and 2023 was her best year, with a second-place finish and eight cuts in 11 starts.
“I’ve grown a lot in the past three years,” said Padangganan, who tied for 43rd in Tokyo. “I know how to control myself better on the court, how to handle the highs and lows.”
Albane Valenzuela
26 years old, Geneva, Switzerland
If the Olympics represent high achievement resulting from the fusion of global cultures, then Albane Valenzuela may be the epitome of that Olympic ideal. Born in New York City to a Mexican father and a French mother, Valenzuela grew up in Mexico City and moved to Geneva when she was six. A standout junior, she was preparing to attend Stanford University as a freshman when she placed low as an amateur at the ANA Inspiration Championships (now the Chevron Championships). This vaulted her up the world rankings and into the 2016 Olympics in Brazil as one of only three amateurs. There, she met fellow Stanford freshman Katie Ledecky (who won four gold medals and a silver in Rio swimming) and tied for 21st. Now, Valenzuela is preparing to represent Switzerland in her third Olympics. Even with all the amateur and collegiate honors and having just had the best season of her career, when asked about her Olympic ranking, Valenzuela didn’t hesitate.
“This is the best golf experience I’ve ever had in my life,” Valenzuela said. “I think there is nothing better than representing your country and seeing the best athletes from all over the world. The emotions you experience are unmatched.”
Paris holds special meaning for her: it’s her mother’s hometown, and Valenzuela considers it her “second home” and favorite city in the world.
“This is the only event where we can stand on the podium,” said Valenzuela, who speaks French, Spanish and German in addition to English. “If you come in second or third in other events, does it really mean that much? Maybe not because you 'lose' something. In the Olympics, winning a medal means something different.”
Adrian Mellonk
31 years old, Pniewe, Poland
Sometimes it’s easy to spot a golfer in a line-up of Olympians, but if you put Adrian Meronk in a warm-up match for the Polish team, he could easily be identified as a volleyball player or a high jumper.
Growing up outside Poznan, the 6-foot-6 Melonk was a multi-sport star who focused solely on golf as a teenager because he preferred to take the sport on alone. It suits him well: Melonk won five times while at East Tennessee State University and again on the European Challenge Tour in 2019. The promotion to the DP World Tour coincided with his qualification for the Tokyo Olympics as Poland's first Olympic golfer. The sense of solidarity Melonk feels with the rest of the Polish team stands in stark contrast to his experiences prior to the Marco Simone Ryder Cup.
Despite winning two titles in 2023 (including the Italian Open at the host stadium), Melonk was not selected as captain of the European team. The pain of being excluded was one of the reasons why Melonk left LIV earlier this year. Now he is very excited to have the opportunity to play under the team banner again.
“I love the Olympics. I've watched every Olympics in my life,” said Meronk, who was named DP World Tour Player of the Year in 2023. “It's a dream come true to be able to represent Poland at the Tokyo Olympics, to see so many athletes, to be in the Olympic Village. I think the Olympics are very important to me.”
MORE: A look back at golf's history in the Olympics
