When you think of the Olympics, you might picture Michael Phelps executing his infamous butterfly stroke or Simone Biles performing some sort of triple-twisting move for gold. But golf? In just its third games since its reintroduction into the Olympics, it’s already gaining significant interest—and quickly.
Sports betting experts at Responsible Gambling analyzed the most popular Olympic events based on average monthly Google searches in the U.S. The list of the highest-searched events proved surprising... even for us at Golf Digest.
Basketball took first place with a monthly average of 38,100 searches. Breaking, also known as break dancing, came in second with 20,537 searches, while golf was third with 14,013 searches.
MORE: Le Golf National is ready for the Games. Organizers explain how differently the former Ryder Cup venue will play
The 2016 Rio Olympic golf event drew 6,000 spectators on its debut day after a 112-year absence from the Games. In Paris, eight years later, some 30,000 fans were in attendance at Le Golf National. This 400% increase only further solidified the case for golf's continued presence in the Olympics, countering skeptics who argued it wouldn’t achieve significant popularity.
While the 72-hole stroke play format has been called too predictable, both gold medalist Scottie Scheffler and silver medalist Tommy Fleetwood have expressed support for keeping the current format in the Olympics.
Ahead of the 2028 Olympics, the International Golf Federation has confirmed that a mixed golf event is under consideration at Riviera Country Club, the host venue in Los Angeles for the upcoming Games. Whether or not this team-based format is implemented, it will be interesting to see if a revised format to even more online interest in Olympic Golf.
MORE: The surprising rule that may affect Charley Hull at the Paris Olympics