Olympics bring global validation
Rory McIlroy’s decision to bail on the Olympics clearly doesn’t help. McIlroy counts as one of the biggest names in golf, and his presence in Brazil later this summer would have given the competition a stamp of validation.
Golf still should embrace its chance to dance across the Olympic stage. This is bigger than McIlroy, bigger than Jordan Spieth, bigger than Jason Day.
The Olympics offer a prestigious platform and a rare opportunity for golf to spread into new parts of the world. This game doesn’t exactly rival soccer or basketball in global popularity, in case you hadn’t noticed.
So why all the cynicism and blowback from some fans and players? Is golf really so elitist that it can’t be bothered with the Olympics?
McIlroy cited concerns about the Zika virus for his decision to skip the trip to Rio in August. That’s a valid issue, so we’re not here to specifically bash McIlroy or other players who will pass on the Summer Games, including Adam Scott and Louis Oosthuizen .( Bubba Watson plans to play; Spieth and Day haven’t decided.)
But any suggestion golf doesn’t belong in the Olympics is missing the point.
Quick story here: In 2007, I wrote a piece for ESPN the Magazine about golf in Russia, and how a country so large, with such a rich sporting history, could produce no worldclass players. In researching the story, it became clear golf really wouldn’t matter in Russia until it became an Olympic sport.
“I’m not sure if some of the world’s leading players know how huge a blow they’ve delivered to golf as a global sport by not supporting its Olympic bid,” Alexey Nikolov, the first general secretary of the Russian Golf Association, said in ’07.
Now this obsession with all things Olympic obviously can become excessive; witness the doping scandal sparking the banishment of Russia’s track and field team from the Rio Games. But the wider point remains: In many countries around the world, a sport doesn’t truly matter unless it’s in the Olympics.
That’s why this summer in Rio is important for golf. No, winning the gold medal won’t be viewed as more significant than winning a major championship. No, golf in the Olympics probably won’t resonate in the United States.
But, yes, the impact will stretch further than most people realize. This is bigger than the U.S.
“Whoever stands on top of that podium to get a gold medal will do something none of the great players in this modern era has been able to experience,” PGA Tour executive Ty Votaw, also vice president of the International Golf Federation, told Golf Channel on Wednesday. “We continue to believe that will be very special for our sport and help it grow.” Open fallout: Dustin Johnson’s victory in the U.S. Open will be remembered as his longawaited breakthrough in a major, after several previous missteps. It also will be remembered for golf ’s inability, once again, to get out of its own way.
USGA officials botched the one-stroke penalty Johnson ultimately received Sunday, for his ball moving as he prepared to putt on the fifth green. The penalty might have been justified according to the rule book, but the rules lack a layer of common sense; Johnson gained no advantage from the ever-so-slight movement, and he promptly summoned a rules official and was given clearance to proceed.
No wonder casual fans shake their head, befuddled.
Beyond the ruling itself, the USGA should have made a decision immediately after reviewing the video. By keeping Johnson in limbo, officials tarnished the building sense of suspense surrounding the final round of a major — exactly what makes majors such great theater.
USGA executive director Mike Davis, a smart and sensible man, acknowledged this in his Monday apology. That’s one day late, but let’s hope his candor will serve as a reminder the next time a rules question threatens to hijack a major. Park pulls out: Inbee Park, the No. 3-ranked player in the world, withdrew from the upcoming U.S. Women’s Open at CordeValle on Wednesday because of a lingering injury to her left thumb.
Park, 27, is a two-time winner of the Women’s Open, in 2008 and again in 2013. She also won five LPGA events last year, including two majors.
This year has been difficult for Park. Injuries to her back and thumb have limited her to 10 starts, and she has more withdrawals (three) than top-10 finishes (two). Park missed the cut in her most recent start, the Women’s PGA Championship outside Seattle.
Yunjie Zhang, a 17-year-old from China, will replace Park in the field at CordeValle. Most of the world’s top female players are expected to compete in the U.S. Women’s Open ( July 7-10), which will be played in the Bay Area for the first time.