KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Gavin Green will head to Paris as one of only four golfers to have participated in three consecutive Olympics.
Alongside Green, Ryan Fox of New Zealand, C.T. Pan of Taiwan and Fabrizio Zanotti of Paraguay (2017 Maybank Championship winner) share this distinction.
While the 30-year-old Gavin takes pride in this achievement, he recognises the importance of delivering a strong performance at Le Golf National in Paris from August 1-4.
Despite making the cut in 13 out of 19 DP World Tour starts this season, Green has struggled to achieve notable results.
He managed only two top-10 outings -a tied-fifth at the India Open and tied-seventh at the Joburg Open in South Africa.
He aims to use the Paris Games as a platform to regain his confidence and improve his performance for the remainder of the season.
Green expressed his thoughts in a first-person column published on the International Golf Federation (IGF) website: "To be one of only four players to have qualified for each of the last three Olympic Games is something I am proud of.
"I have the Olympic rings as a tattoo below my right arm as a reminder of my journey in the game.
"I'm really hopeful that playing at the upcoming Games can give me a confidence boost for the rest of the season. My main focus going forward for the rest of the year is trying to build some consistency, not just making cuts but top 10s and top 20s.
"I've been close to that a couple of times and just haven't been able to finish off the way I wanted to.
"(At the Olympics) You're performing among many of the best players in the world with the eyes of the sporting world on you. There are so many guys playing unbelievable golf right now, so it is not going to be easy, but it is still golf at the end of the day.
"It's a unique experience, so if you can have a good week then that can only do wonders for you."
Green is under no illusions about the challenge that awaits him in Paris. He acknowledged that nothing short of his best form will suffice at Le Golf National, a course he candidly described as a "beast".
The venue is no stranger to Gavin as he had played there thrice, at the French Open in 2018, 2019 and 2022. His best finish was tied-48th in 2019.
"It will be nice to go back to a golf course where we have played DP World Tour events. You know what to expect in a sense. While the experience certainly helps, for as long as I play golf, there will always be nerves on the first tee," he said.
"Le Golf National is a beast. It's a ball-strikers' course. You have to hit fairways, you have to hit greens and you have to putt well. The whole game has to be pretty solid to win on that course.
"There are not many places on that course where you can miss, especially down the stretch. The closing holes are so, so demanding."