Golfers to wrestle with Olympic history following Rio nominations

Canada’s golf team for the sport’s return to the Olympic Games was made official on Tuesday at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario.

The home of the RBC Canadian Open that starts this week – and headquarters for Golf Canada, the sport’s national body – provided the ideal setting for the Rio 2016 Olympic nominations (all nominees are now official after an internal selection committee approved all Team Canada nominated athletes last week).

RELATED: Rio 2016 qualification tracker

Brooke Henderson kisses the Women's PGA Championship trophy after winning her first major on July 12, 2016.

Brooke Henderson kisses the Women’s PGA Championship trophy after winning her first major on July 12, 2016.

With golfers having already earned their spots through PGA and LPGA rankings, the revelation itself may have been anti-climactic, though its significance in sport history is unquestionable.

Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp will be among the first female golfers to ever take part in Olympic golf.

Henderson, in her first pro tour has been dominant on certain weeks, winning a major for the first time and rocketing up to second in LPGA rankings.

Alena Sharp at a tournament in Sylvania, Ohio on July 18, 2015.

Alena Sharp at a tournament in Sylvania, Ohio on July 18, 2015.

Sharp scored a top eight finish last month at a tournament in Arkansas and flirted with a top ten finish again in her most recent LPGA outing.

RELATED: Henderson wins first major

The men’s side will see Graham DeLaet and David Hearn also wrestle with history.

A Canadian legend, George Lyon, won the last golf gold medal at St. Louis 1904. Four years later he was offered the gold again at London 1908 due to the tournament being cancelled, but Lyon reportedly refused out of sportsmanship.

Although golf has been absent from the Olympic Games for 112 years, DeLaet and Hearn, both regulars in the PGA tour, will have an unique chance to defend a title for their country.

DeLaet recently finished eighth at a PGA tournament in Albama, the same outing where Hearn was 20th, following up on a 12th place finish three weeks earlier near Washington, DC.

RELATED: Golf at Rio 2016

George Lyon (golfchannel.com)

George Lyon (golfchannel.com)

The men’s tournament at Rio 2016 goes from August 11 to 14, before the women take to the links three days later.

Olympic golf takes place in the Barra zone in Rio. The course is situated south of the Olympic Park.