COMPLETE MEN'S STANDINGS

August 4th 2015: On the eve of this week's World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, the one-year countdown begins to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

That means one year from Wednesday, athletes from around the world will enter Maracana Stadium behind their country's flag during the Opening Ceremony, ready to compete in 306 events across 28 sports during the next 16 days.

And it means golf will officially be part of the Olympic program for the first time in 112 years with separate tournaments for men and women.

In some ways, it will seem familiar. A 72-hole individual stroke play event, lowest score wins. Names like McIlroy and Spieth likely to contend.

In other ways, it will obviously be something we've never seen (unless you're older than 112, of course). Gold medals instead of trophies, played on a brand-new course. A chance to showcase the sport to viewers unfamiliar with the game.

And golfers walking alongside swimmers, gymnasts, runners and others at the Opening Ceremony, proudly wearing their country's uniform.

"To have a chance to represent your country will be really special," said Rickie Fowler, who's hoping to earn a spot on the U.S. team. "I would love to have that experience."

With that in mind, here's a look at some of the key developments one year out.

IF THE OLYMPICS STARTED TODAY ...

Here's what the 60-player men's field would look like, based on the International Golf Federation's Olympic rankings that take into account all the various parameters and eligibility qualifications.

The top-15 players based on the Official World Golf Rankings on July 14, 2016, will be eligible, with a limit of four players from a given country. Beyond the top 15, player eligibility is based on world rankings, with a maximum of two players from each country that doesn't already have two or more among the top 15.

Right now, the only country with the maximum of four players is the U.S. No other country has more than two. Brazil automatically gets one spot by being the host country but actually has two players currently qualified.

Country	Players (Current Olympic rank)
IRELAND	Rory McIlroy (1), Shane Lowry (20)
USA	Jordan Spieth (2), Bubba Watson (3), Rickie Fowler (5), Jim Furyk (6)
AUSTRALIA	Jason Day (4), Adam Scott (10)
GREAT BRITAIN	Justin Rose (7), Danny Willett (14)
SWEDEN	Henrik Stenson (8), David Lingmerth (25)
SPAIN	Sergio Garcia (9), Miguel Angel Jimenez (23)
SOUTH AFRICA	Louis Oosthuizen (11), Branden Grace (16)
JAPAN	Hideki Matsuyama (12), Hiroshi Iwata (32)
GERMANY	Martin Kaymer (13), Marcel Siem (33)
AUSTRIA	Bernd Wiesberger (15)
THAILAND	Thongchai Jaidee (17), Kiradech Aphibarnrat (28)
FRANCE	Victor Dubuisson (18), Alexander Levy (26)
ITALY	Francesco Molinari (19), Edoardo Molinari (49)
INDIA	Anirban Lahiri (21), SSP Chawrasia (47)
NETHERLANDS	Joost Luiten (22)
KOREA	Byeong-Hun An (24), Sangmoon Bae (37)
NEW ZEALAND	Danny Lee (27), Ryan Fox (39)
DENMARK	Soren Kjeldsen (29, Thomas Bjorn (36)
CANADA	Graham DeLaet (30), David Hearn (35)
ARGENTINA	Emiliano Grillo (31), Angel Cabrera (40)
FINLAND	Mikko Ilonen (34), Roope Kakko (55)
ZIMBABWE	Brendon de Jonge (38)
CHINA	Hao Tong Li (42), Wu Ashun (44)
PARAGUAY	Fabrizio Zanotti (41)
PORTUGAL	Ricardo Gouveia (43)
COLOMBIA	Camilo Villegas (45)
MEXICO	Carlos Ortiz (46)
BELGIUM	Nicolas Colsaerts (48), Thomas Pieters (52)
FIJI	Vijay Singh (50)
PHILIPPINES	Angelo Que (51), Antonio Lascuna (56)
CHILE	Felipe Aguilar (53), Mark Tullo (60)
SINGAPORE	Mardan Mamat (54)
TAIPEI	Chan Shih-chang (58)
BRAZIL	Lucas Lee (57), Adilson da Silva (59)

OLYMPIC COURSE UPDATE

The Olympic golf course as it looked on July 21, 2015.

After some initial delays, the Olympic golf course in Rio de Janeiro is now essentially finished and officials of the International Golf Federation are looking at a test event in the first quarter of 2016.

"We're happy to report that the golf course itself is virtually complete and we are now in full grow-in mode," Ty Votaw, the vice president of the IGF, said during the week of The Open Championship.

"We've had a very good first year through the spring and summer months in Rio, and we're pleased with the overall progress that has been made to date."