With golf being back in the Olympic Games this year there is much talk about the 2016 golf season being such a special year. All the effected parties are saying the politically correct thing with “growing the game” and “it’s an honor to represent your country” thrown about very often.
I haven’t heard many dissenting voices when it comes to golf making its first appearance in the Olympics since 1904. So it has been 112 years since someone teed it up chasing a gold medal and I have to ask…why bother now?
Frankly, golf in the Olympics for me is a non-starter. I get no kick about thinking of watching any golfer play down in Rio. In fact I’ll be more interested in seeing Gil Hanse’s new course since it was such a pain for him to finally get it built.
I much rather watch Jordan, Jason, Rory and crew go at it for a major championship or even a weekly PGA or Euro Tour event.
They, as in all the golfers both male and female are saying they are thrilled to compete at Rio but I see a cramped summer with majors, WGC’s and a trip to Rio jammed so tight that I can hear the “burn out” griping already.
In the video below Suzann Pettersen says, referring to winning a gold medal,”it doesn’t get bigger than that.” Really…bigger than a major? Talk about politically correct.
Bubba Watson chimes in with the standard “honor to represent the United States.” But American players get to do that each year at the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup.
Show me one player that would trade a major or a Ryder or Solheim Cup for an Olympic medal. Not going to happen.
But maybe in twenty or thirty years Olympic golf will grow to mean something truly important. But I doubt it, it probably won’t make it past the next Olympics in Tokyo.
We hear such positive things from the ruling bodies like the USGA, R&A, PGA Tour and all the rest on what a great thing it is for golf but what they really mean is it’s a great way to add more dollars to their coffers and justify flying around the world to promote themselves, oops, I mean promote golf.
GMac, Bubba and the rest may be thrilled to make the trip to Rio but as far as I am concerned it’s just going to be another week of golf. And not a major one at that.
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It is a Big Whoop! I think a gold medal and being an Olympian representing your country is the highest honor for any athlete. I’m really looking forward to watching golf at the Olympics this summer.
I think you are right for some athletes like those whose sport peaks at the Olympics. Track and field, swimming and the like but for those players that play a pro sport all year their respective championships mean more. No NBA player would swap a championship for gold medal, nor would a NHL player trade their day with the Stanley Cup. As far as pro golfers… the next one that says he rather win a gold medal than a major will be the first. If the powers that be had made the golf competition more of a two person team, Ryder cup style event I think it would have been more exciting.