Rory McIlroy and Corey Conners are poised to perform at Paris 2024.
The latest: McIlroy is coming off a hugely disappointing major championship season but he's still been one of the best players in the world. I expect him to find the podium and am also backing Conners to finish inside the top 10 of this 60-man, no-cut event at Le Golf National.
Check out the best Olympic Men's Golf bets for the tournament beginning on August 1.
Olympic Men's Golf best bets
Click link to add selection to betslip. Note: Lines have changed/market no longer available if grey.
| Picks | Odds | Bet now ⬇️ |
| McIlroy to medal | +335 | Add to betslip |
| Conners top-10 finish | +200 | Add to betslip |
| Lowry over Hovland 72-hole matchup | -110 | Add to betslip |
Go to full Olympic Men's Golf betting markets.
Best Bet: McIlroy to medal (+335)
McIlroy can win scores of PGA Tour events — he won two this year — but his season will always be judged by the majors.
The Irishman has four to his name but hasn't reached the mountaintop since 2014.
This year, he came devastatingly close with a runner-up at the U.S. Open before missing the cut in his last opportunity at the Open Championship.
But an Olympic medal would be a nice feather in the future Hall of Famer's cap. It would also reshape how the golf world views his season. I say he does it.
McIlroy finished three shots behind Xander Schauffele for the gold at Tokyo 2020 and was involved in a seven-man playoff for the bronze but lost out to C.T. Pan.
McIlroy has six top-three finishes in 18 starts this year (33.3%) and four in his last 12 majors (33.3%). That far exceeds the implied probability of these odds (22.99%).
All of those events were against much stronger, and larger, fields.
With only 59 other players to deal with he should surely be in contention come Sunday.
Key stat: McIlroy ranks first in strokes gained: off-the-tee (+1.15) and third in strokes gained: total (+2.90) in this field over the last three months, according to DataGolf.
Quick picks
Conners top-10 finish (+200): I'm bullish on Conners medalling for Canada (+1,000) but am going for the safer option here.
The Listowel, Ont. native has three top-10 finishes in his last six starts (Canadian Open, U.S. Open, Scottish Open) and is coming off a solid T25 at the Open Championship.
He's one of the best ball strikers on the PGA Tour and ranks fourth in strokes gained: approach (+1.13) and fifth in strokes gained: tee-to-green (+1.76) in this field over the last three months.
The putter has often abandoned Conners during his career but he's been rolling the rock nicely lately.
He's picked up strokes putting in four of his last six starts and I'm hoping that hot streak continues in Paris.
Lowry over Hovland 72-hole matchup (-110): Let's turn to a head-to-head matchup for my final bet.
Lowry held a two-shot lead after 36 holes at the Open Championship but ended up finishing T6 after a tough nine to start Saturday's round.
Before that, he finished T9 at the Travelers Championship and before that, he was T19 at the U.S. Open.
Hovland's finishing position in those events? Cut, T46, 20th.
The Norwegian has had an awful, awful season after winning the FedEx Cup in 2023. He only has one top-10 finish all year — a T3 at the PGA Championship — and missed the cut in each of the other three majors.
Lowry, meanwhile, has six top 10s and ranks 26th in strokes gained (+0.797) on the PGA Tour. Hovland sits 42nd (+0.593).
Look for one of Ireland's flagbearers to have a big week.
Picks made at 11:35 a.m. on 07/30/24.
