Golf to debut mixed-team event in 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

MANILA, Philippines — Golf in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is set to bring added excitement and innovation with the inclusion of a mixed-team event, complementing the men’s and women’s individual competitions at The Riviera Country Club.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to see a mixed-team event added to the program for Los Angeles 2028,” said International Golf Federation Executive Director Antony Scanlon.

“Following golf’s incredible success at Paris 2024 and the continued momentum from Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, we’re excited to showcase our sport even more in LA. The athletes have shown great enthusiasm for teaming up with their compatriots, and we look forward to seeing them compete together in Los Angeles,” he added.

The Philippines, represented by Dottie Ardina and Bianca Pagdanganan in Paris, did not field a male golfer due to Miguel Tabuena falling short in the qualifying rankings.

But Filipino golf fans are hopeful for a full team in Los Angeles, with possible contenders such as PGA Tour campaigner Rico Hoey, Japan Golf Tour regular Justin delos Santos, or Tabuena.

The new mixed-team event will feature a 36-hole format: the first round played as foursomes (alternate shot) and the second round as four-ball (best ball). Each country can field one team consisting of one male and one female athlete who are already qualified for the individual Olympic golf competitions.

The mixed-team event will be scheduled after the men’s four-round individual competition and before the women’s.

This marks the first Olympic golf team event since the 1904 Games.

The Los Angeles 2028 event program and athlete quotas were approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board on April 9. With 351 medal events in total — 22 more than Paris 2024 — the LA28 Olympics will maintain the core athlete cap of 10,500, with an additional 698 slots for five new sports proposed by the LA28 Organizing Committee: baseball/softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse, and squash.

It was shaped by proposals from international sports federations and approved by the IOC. Golf is one of six sports adding a mixed-gender competition for Los Angeles 2028, alongside archery, athletics (4x100m mixed relay), gymnastics, rowing coastal beach sprint, and table tennis.