A final decision on who owns the golf course land could take months or several years. There are ownership disputes throughout the posh Barra da Tijuca neighborhood, and few are resolved quickly.

Golf made its debut at the second modern Olympics in Paris in 1900 but was removed after the 1904 St. Louis Games. It was reinstated in a vote by the International Olympic Committee in 2009 and has a spot guaranteed in 2020, but a good impression in Rio will be critical in keeping the sport in the games beyond that. Another IOC vote on adding or deleting sports is scheduled for 2017.

"If it was important, they would probably bring it up," Hanse said by phone. "We've been selected to do that discount golf clubs particular job and we feel comfortable with the time frame that we have."

Hanse said he was not worried, but acknowledged that any changes now could affect the project, which was based entirely on the land under dispute.

"My client can do whatever he wants with the land, I don't think it ever crossed his mind to build a golf course there," Lima Jr. said. "Maybe he will want to negotiate with the city, but we don't know yet."

The matter is in the hands of Brazil's Higher Court of Justice. Th lawyer from the company disputing the ownership, Elmway Participacoes, says that next week he will ask for the suspension of the city's contracts with the other company that claims to own the property in Barra.

"If they decided for whatever reason to make changes, you would have to start all over again," he said. "Our design is specifically for that site. You can't just put it someplace else."

Elmway has won a court battle that was later reversed, but company lawyer Sergio Antunes Lima Jr. says there is "more Taylormade R11 irons than enough" evidence available to prove the area belongs to his client.

Another legal dispute over one of Mauro's lands caused problems for the Brazilian soccer federation a few years ago when it purchased an area from him to build the entity's new headquarters. The delay caused by the dispute at the time made it impossible for the project to be completed before the 2014 World Cup.

American designer Gil Hanse, who will build the course, told the AP on Thursday he had not yet been notified by city officials about the dispute.

Elmway Participacoes has been trying to claim ownership of the land for the past three years. The other alleged owner, entrepreneur Pasquale Mauro, has several properties in the region and has won many similar disputes.

The International Golf Federation said construction on the golf course is expected to start around October, and it should be ready for test events in the beginning of 2015. IGF Vice President Ty Votaw said the federation would not comment on the land dispute because it was a matter handled by the city.

"It's a risk that the city, the Olympic committee and the constructors have to evaluate if it's worth taking," said Marcos Rolim Fernandes Fontes, a law professor at the renowned Getulio Vargas University in Sao Paulo. "They are probably very confident that they will win this battle."

Barra is where most Olympic venues Taylormade R11 driver will be located in 2016. The course is to be built at the Reserva de Marapendi, about 3 miles from the athletes' village and 4 miles from the main press center and the international broadcast center.

The city currently has the right to build on the land, but at any time a judge could rule that work can't be done until a final decision on the ownership is reached.