World golf builds on Rio success to draw up plan for team event at Tokyo Games
The International Golf Federation is preparing to submit a bid to include a team competition in the 2020 Olympics.
Encouraged by the International Olympic Committee after the sport’s successful inclusion into the Games in Rio, following a 112-year absence, the IGF wants to retain the traditional 72-hole strokeplay events for men and women, at the same time as introducing team tournaments that would be run separately.
Sources say it is a complex issue, because the IOC is adamant that it does not want the team event to be held at the same time as the individual event.
The main male tours are concerned that the men’s contests take no longer than a week and therefore do not further affect schedules. However, despite the obstacles, the IGF is confident it can reach a solution and that it will be approved in time for Tokyo.
Tim Finchem, the PGA Tour commissioner and the most powerful figure in golf, told The Age newspaper in Australia: “The feedback is very positive [on team-based formats].
“We’re looking at the formats for 2020 and we like individual competition, but we’d also like to mix in a different competition or two and we’re looking at different possibilities. We might end up saying we’ll keep it the way it is, we might recommend a couple of changes on certain days where we do a different type of competition. And it also affects scheduling, so we’re looking how that all works.”
In a controversial Rio build-up, which featured some top players withdrawing because of concerns over the Zika virus, misgivings were expressed from all quarters concerning the format being only individual. As it turned out, the comeback was a success, with bigger crowds than expected and a dramatic conclusion to the men’s tournament, as Britain’s Justin Rose nudged out Ryder Cup team-mate Henrik Stenson on the last hole.
Recent reports have signified that the IOC was delighted with the viewing and digital figures and has made promising noises to the IGF about golf becoming a permanent fixture.
Finchem was talking in Melbourne, at the World Cup of Golf, an event that combines foursomes and fourballs for pairings from 28 nations. Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen and Thorbjorn Olesen were four clear of the US duo of Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker.