Rio Golf Qualification Set; Course Delays

The final cut off date for Olympic golf qualification will be July 11, 2016.

The method in which the 60 men and 60 women golfers will qualify has not been finalized and will be announced in a few weeks.

"Where [July 11] falls in relation to the world golf schedule is still to be determined," Ty Votaw, vice president of the International Golf Federation, said Tuesday at a press conference.

Both the men and women will compete in 72-hole tournaments in Rio. The men’s tournament takes place the first week of the Olympics, while the women’s play will occur during the second.

At the press conference, Votaw announced Adidas will sponsor the U.S. golf team in Rio.

In addition, Votaw talked about the delays in building the Olympic course, and how that impacts a potential test event. The IGF originally wanted a test event in 2014, but currently the plan is to hold one in late 2015.

"There have been no determinations made relative to the test event. Our original projections were to hopefully have a test event in the first half of 2015. That's moved to the second half of 2015. We may ultimately end up having a test event in the year of the Olympics," said Votaw.

According to course architect Gil Hanse, grass is expected to grow on the site in April with full coverage by the end of the year.

"Right now, the key thing is we have a target we have to hit," Hanse said at a press conference Wednesday.

Not holding a test event until late 2015 could have big impacts and potential risks.

"Our ability to make significant changes to the golf course is going to be limited," Votaw said Tuesday.

He added that any changes would have to come from tournament organizers and setup rather than from Hanse.

Written by Aaron Bauer

Homepage photo: Getty Images

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.