Aug. 11 can’t come soon enough for those who pushed to have golf return to the Olympics after a 112-year siesta.
Once the first ball is struck at the Olympic Course in Rio de Janeiro, the talk will switch from Zika, security, the banal format and the big names who stayed home. The competitors who made the trip will be front and center.
Mikko Ilonen, please report to the first tee!
“Sure, it’s disappointing that some of the men have chosen not to play, and we respect that,” Ty Votaw, a high-ranking executive with the PGA Tour and International Golf Federation, said in a telephone interview. “But we’re excited about who will be there.
“On the first tee, they will have sweaty palms, goose bumps and hair raised on the back on their neck. They will be doing something no one has done in 112 years in our sport.”
Votaw is among those who politicked for years to get golf back in the Games. The motivation was to improve the image of golfers as true athletes and to grow the game, cognizant that Olympic-mad countries such as China would invest millions, if not billions, into player development.
Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods sent video testimonials to the International Olympic Committee. Michelle Wie and Padraig Harrington made in-person pitches, flying to Copenhagen, Denmark, before the IOC’s vote.
Harrington will be in Rio representing Ireland. Wie didn’t come within a par-6 of qualifying. Woods will be watching on TV, perhaps. Rory McIlroy apparently won’t be. His comments in rejecting Rio were jarring.
At least world No. 1 Jason Day expressed “deep regret” over his decision to take a pass, citing the Zika virus and his desire to have more healthy babies with wife Ellie. Dustin Johnson also mentioned Zika. Jordan Spieth predicted he would watch the opening ceremony with regret.
McIlroy? He said he would tune in to swimming and track and field.
“The stuff that matters,” he said.
A lack of tradition is certainly a factor. The pros grew up dreaming of winning green jackets and claret jugs, not Olympic gold.
The remote threat of kidnapping was likely a concern. A packed schedule meant the Olympics come just two weeks after the PGA Championship — and two weeks before the FedEx Cup playoffs, which offer their own pot of gold: a $10 million first prize.
The format was also a detriment. Players pull for one another at the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, and they pressure each other to participate. The Olympics will be like a major: stroke play, 72 holes.
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Votaw said officials did not choose the format to please TV partner NBC, which naturally would prefer a leaderboard with big names rather than risk the stars getting upended in fickle match play.
He said a team event would have been unfair to countries that have, say, only one player ranked in the top 100. And the IOC wanted stroke play so countries would not be eliminated. Perhaps a dozen or more players will be in contention for a medal heading into the final round, compared with having four players duel it out.
“There will be four Americans, but we’re all against each other. If it was a two-man team, we’d get more pumped up about it,” said Bubba Watson, the highest-ranked American competing. “You could still have an individual (event) but also give the team a medal. It’s tough, too, because you work with a caddie, but the caddie is not part of the Olympics.”
Watson said he understood why: “What if your caddie is from England and you’re from the U.S?”
Yes, consequences for every decision.
Like this one: The IOC stipulated a July 11 cutoff for golf entries. Six days later, Phil Mickelson finished second in the British Open and moved up to 13th in the world rankings. But it was too late: Watson (No. 6), Rickie Fowler (7), Patrick Reed (14) and Matt Kuchar (17) will represent the Stars and Stripes.
Only eight of the world’s top 15 men will participate. On the women’s side, the only top-10 player not coming is Ha-Na Jang — and that’s because South Korea had the maximum four players ranked ahead of her.
American Stacy Lewis called the decision of the men who declined “really disappointing” because it could affect whether women’s golf remains in the Olympics past 2020.
“(But) if we had a tournament at the end of the year where we could win $10 million,” she added, “I would probably change my schedule a little bit too.”
Watson made sure the Olympics were part of his schedule, even though he’ll defend his title at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut the week before. That’s dedication.
“This could be one of the only times where we have golf in the Olympics,” he told the Tribune. “Even if I finish dead last … it was a no-brainer to be a part of it.”
Twitter @TeddyGreenstein