Make Olympic Golf Great Again
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, golf made its return to competition after over a century-long absence. The sport had only appeared in the event two times before that in 1900 at the Paris games for both men and women and in 1904 at St. Louis for the men.
To be honest, years ago when it was announce that golf would be coming back, I barely noticed. In my opinion, golf already had a nice mix of big events with prestige sprinkled throughout the calendar. Sure, the Olympics came with a certain level of relevance, but I’ve never watched it closely, so it didn’t catch my attention.
Lately, I’ve needed to do some research to build my interest, which helped, but I also think there’s some potential opportunities that could make it even better in the future.
Course and Event
This year, it’ll be played on the East Course at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Japan, a top 10 course in the country. Both the men and women will compete in a 72-hole stroke play event, just like a regular PGA Tour or LPGA Tour event.
The men will begin play on Thursday, July 29th and the women on Wednesday, August 4th.
When most people think about golf today, stroke play is the format that comes to mind. Like I said, it’s how the professional tours set up their events and the one amateurs play when they tee it up on the weekends. That’s not always the case, though. A popular format throughout golf’s history has been match play and, in the modern game, one that isn’t used often.
An event like the Olympics, which acknowledges history in so many ways, would have a great opportunity to take advantage of this format to make the game more unique and special; a must-see tournament.
Players and Qualifying
The top 15 players in the world rankings automatically qualify for the field, with a maximum of four golfers per country. After those players, the field is filled by the top ranked players until the field of 60 is filled. On the PGA Tour, the fields can be as big as 156.
For the American men, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, and Patrick Reed made the team. Bryson DeChambeau did as well, but he had to withdraw after testing positive for Covid-19 and was replaced by Reed. Dustin Johnson would have qualified, but he chose not to participate to focus on the final stretch on the PGA Tour. He didn’t miss the 3M Open last week, so that might tell you what he thinks of the Olympics.
On the women’s team it’ll be Nelly Korda, Danielle Kang, Lexi Thompson, and Jessica Korda competing for team USA.
Typically, we think of the Olympics as being a collection of the top athletes in the world competing to represent their country well. Pride is their prize.
In golf, that’s not exactly the case. For example, Jeong Eun Lee6 who, just last week nearly won the Evian Championship (an LPGA major), won’t be competing because she’s the fifth ranked Korean. Meanwhile, players from other countries that are ranked below her will be in the field. I’m not at all saying the golfers in the field don’t deserve to be there, but the field isn’t deep.
Professionals and Amateurs
When it comes to the Olympics, it’s not about the money (at least not for the athletes). There are professional athletes competing, but their prize isn’t monetary. In golf, it’s professional athletes who are competing in an amateur event.
I can’t really blame guys like Dustin Johnson who choose not to compete. He can easily stay in the United States, play a regular PGA Tour event the week before and after, and make hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Not only that, but dropping professional athletes into an amateur event where they compete as individuals and are now on a “team” must be a strange shift to make. One week, you’re trying to beat the other guys or gals in order to make a living and the next you’re cheering for them to see your country prevail.
Team Game
Obviously, the Olympics focuses on the team aspect in sports. Whether it’s a team or individual sport, the game is still about elevating country over self. You often see compatriots cheering for and celebrating with one another even when they are competing in the same event.
Due to the qualifying process, limited field, and focus on countries, it makes little sense to format the event as a four-day stroke play. Instead, the IOC has an incredible opportunity to make this a unique event that draws more attention than it does. As it stands, the Olympics golf event isn’t nearly as intriguing as the majors or other popular regular Tour events. It’s not even consider as big of a deal as the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, or Solheim Cup, which are nation-based team events as well.
As a result, in my opinion, the Olympics will always be viewed as “not-as-good” as these other tournaments. Therefore, the IOC has a chance to create something truly special and unique in future years and make it an even that the top players will actually want to compete in (e.g. Dustin Johnson).
Picture this…
A single match play event for teams of two that are a mix of both men and women. That’s something the golf world has been requesting for quite awhile now, but nothing currently exists. I think this change would make it the premier golf event of its kind, bringing a renewed interest level.
Pairing players of both genders together would also bring in the match play format, thus making it even more intriguing. Not only match play, though, it could also include alternate shot, best ball, and scrambles, which are rarely, if ever used in top-level golf.
U! S! A!
Now, all that being said, will I watch it as is? Of course. I love golf and the Olympics are fun. I want to see the guys and gals from my country bring home the gold. None of this is said to make little of the event. Instead, it’s a small suggestion, that will probably never be noticed or considered, that I think would make the tournament even better.
Here’s to hoping the future of Olympic golf is bright.