Golf is in the Olympics for the first time in 112 years as part of the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The sport will have two 60-player tournaments on the Olympic golf course located in the Barra da Tijuca section of Rio -- one for men and one for women.
Of course, the players in each competition will have their own caddies, and they're required by the International Golf Federation to do so. However, the IGF and the International Olympic Committee do not recognizes the caddies as part of an Olympic team, meaning that they will not earn medals if their player wins one in the Olympic golf tournaments.
Here are the rules regulating caddies as put forth by the International Golf Federation, golf's official Olympic organization:
All athletes in the Olympic Games shall employ caddies for all practice and competition rounds. A caddie is not required to be of the same nationality as the athlete he/she is employed by. Payment of the caddies is the sole responsibility of the athlete and they shall be paid promptly. The IGF assumes no responsibility for the payment of the caddies. The fee is to be resolved prior to the competition between the athlete and caddie. In the event of illness or injury to a caddie during the round, the athlete may replace the caddie with anyone who is properly accredited for field of play access.
Athletes shall be responsible for the conduct and behaviour of their caddies at the Olympic Golf Competition and subject to penalty for any breach of the rules by their caddie as detailed in the Rules of Golf. Caddies are not eligible to receive a medal/diploma. Caddies shall adhere to these IGF Olympic Golf Regulations and its appendices.
Interestingly, in addition to medals for the first-, second- and third-place finishers in each tournament (with sudden-death playoffs, if necessary, to determine those places), players who finish in the top seven receive what's dubbed a diploma to certify their achievement.
