The Elite 8: 2016 Olympic Course Design "Finalists"
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The jury panel charged with narrowing the initial bids for the Rio 2016 Olympic golf course design commission whittled the "contest" to eight finalists, and all of the surviving candidates are believed to have been notified of their status.
The finalists will be in Rio de Janeiro in the next two weeks for project briefing workshops, with 3-4 weeks to prepare presentations followed by interviews and a decision expected by mid-to-late January.
Here they are, as confirmed by sources, in alphabetical order:
Tom Doak
Gil Hanse
Martin Hawtree
Robert Trent Jones II
Jack Nicklaus/Annika Sorenstam
Greg Norman/Lorena Ochoa
Gary Player
Peter Thomson/Michael Ross Perrett
**The Rio 2016 website now has an official press release posted:
On Friday, December 2nd, the eight finalists of the Golf Course Architectural Services RFP were announced. The winning participants will design the executive project for the Olympic venue, to be built in Rio de Janeiro to welcome golf’s return to the Olympic Games program in 2016, after 112 years of absence.
These are the contest finalists in alphabetical order: Gary Player Design, Greg Norman Golf Course Design, Hanse Golf Design, Hawtree Ltd., Nicklaus Design, Renaissance Golf, Robert Trent Jones II and Thomson-Perret Golf Course Architects.
The awarded company name will be disclosed early in 2012, on a date to be announced by Rio 2016™.
