The Silver Slovak, aka Rory Sabbatini, a professional golfer born on April 2, 1976, has a total of nine professional wins, including six on the PGA Tour. He earned the nickname due to his silver medal win at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Sabbatini went pro in 1998 and earned his spot on the PGA Tour for the next season. Initially having a promising career, his first PGA win came at the 2000 Air Canada Championship (now the Greater Vancouver Open) by one stroke over Grant Waite.
Sabbatini came close to winning two WGCs and a major event, finishing second at the 2004 and 2007 WGC Invitationals and the 2007 Masters Tournament. Around the same time, he had reached a career-high of No. 8 in the Official World Golf Rankings. The 2011 Honda Classic (now Cognizant Classic) was Sabbatini’s most recent PGA Tour win, while his 2019 QBE Shootout win was his most recent win overall. Another worthy finish was his tie for sixth place at the 2015 Players Championship. As of July 2024, his Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) is No. 1416.
Has Rory Sabbatini won an Olympic medal?
Yes, Rory Rabbatini won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games for his second-place finish.
The Slovakian had begun the day seven shots behind overnight leader Xander Schauffele, but he turned in one of his best rounds in Japan, finishing with an eagle, ten birdies, and two bogies for a 10-under-par total of 61.
In order to compete in a playoff match against Schauffele, Sabbatini would have needed to shoot a 60, but the former's birdie at the 18th hole made all the difference, and Sabbatini won the silver medal for his runner-up finish.
According to ESPN however, since Sabbatini married Martina Stofanikova, a Slovakian, in 2014 and applied for Slovakian citizenship in 2018, there have been rumors that he did the latter to get an entry at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Sabbatini was ranked 203rd in the world at the time, and because golfers qualify for the Olympics via the OWGR, Sabbatini had no chance of qualifying through the South African National Olympic Committee (NOC).
Further, as per Olympic golf qualification norms, no more than two athletes from any nation are allowed to compete in the Olympics, four if they place in the top 15 until the field size reaches 60 individuals.
Stofanikova's cousin, Rastislav Antal, the then President of the Slovak Golf Association, proposed to Sabbatini a bylaw to Rule 41 of the Olympic Charter that allows athletes with dual citizenship to represent their preferred country, according to ESPN. Thus, Sabbatini represented Slovakia, a nation with just 9,000 registered golfers. He countered the rumors by claiming that it was to support the expansion of the game in Slovakia.
FAQ's On Rory Sabbatini’s Olympic Medals
A. Yes, Rory Sabbatini won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
A. Rory Sabbatini represented Slovakia at the 2020 Olympics.
A. The RSM Classic disqualified Rory Sabbatini for having reflective stickers on the fairway wood in the first round. The stickers violated Rule 4.1.
A. Yes, Rory Sabbatini is married to Martina Stofanikova; they got married in 2014 and also have a son from Stofanikova's previous marriage.
A. Rory Sabbatini is 48 years old as of July 2024. He was born on April 2, 1976.
