Olympic Golf: Top 5 Teams to Watch in the Men’s Competition

Sweden: Henrik Stenson, David Lingmerth

While the nation has produced its share of good players, Sweden isn’t really a powerhouse when it comes to golf — certainly not to the same extent as the previous three countries on this list, anyway. Still, there’s plenty to like about its chances of medaling.

Bubba Watson has more majors, but my pre-competition pick to win is Henrik Stenson. The 40-year-old was relentless at Royal Troon, shooting a 63 in the final round to win The Open Championship. Two weeks later, he had a chance to make it back-to-back majors at the PGA Championship before fading down the stretch to end up in a tie for seventh. He’s the hottest player in the field, bar none.

The other Swedish player, David Lingmerth, hasn’t done nearly as much over the past few months. Though he did tie for 22nd at the PGA Championship, he’s notched just one top 10 since his playoff loss at the CareerBuilder Challenge back in January. Still, as the 14th-ranked player in the field, he could surprise us.

Next: Argentina