“They’re all wanting to grow golf, but the government is saying, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute!’”

Thanks to all who sent Seth Mydans' New York Times story on the failed dreams of the "Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail" as the government starts to question building a string of golf courses in a country with so few players. I guess they didn't hear about the Olympic announcement? Or Monty's contribution to the region?

I do see from the photos accompanying the story--and this appeared in the print edition, ensuring even more people laugh at the sport--that the Vietnamese have embraced America obsessive bunker raking.

"If the tournament stinks, they may not get a chance to fix it."

Interesting debate between the SI guys on the Olympic format. For those of us who want to see golf in the Olympics succeed, it's Jim Gorant's point that really hits home about the importance of rethinking the current format.

Herre: I think all the criticism about the format is silly, can't-see-the-forest-for-the-trees kind of stuff. It will be fun for us to watch the development of Olympic golf.

Van Sickle: I don't think the criticism is silly at all. It's totally valid. Might as well just cut the field to 25, since that's already effectively done by bringing in players ranked outside the top 300 in the world. If this is supposed to be a world-class event, it should have a world-class field. But it won't, and it won't even come close. There's still plenty of time to address this and correct it.

Herre: If the format doesn't work, it will be changed. The bottom line is that there would be no Olympic golf without the blessing of Tiger Woods and possibly Phil Mickelson, and this is the format they want to play. We go forward from there.

Gorant: Agree with the realpolitik involved, but they do have to guard against a clunker of a competition, either because it's boring or a farce. Golf was only approved for 2016 and 2020, and even 2020 is subject to review in 2017. If the tournament stinks, they may not get a chance to fix it.

Golf Channel's Olympic Announcement Coverage

Golf Channel featured a pretty extensive roundup on the golf-in-the-Olympics announcement, and as you might imagine some interesting things were said. There were a few highlights, starting with Tim Finchem's appearance alongside Brandel Chamblee and Kraig Kann.

Finchem said this "will go down as a turning point for the game from a growth standpoint" and that "we're on a nice trajectory globally with golf" and "countries are going to spend a lot of energy to grow the game."

Finchem also believes this will "legitimatize, if we even needed it, golf as an athletic sport. It's truly an athletic sport."

And finally, golf in the Olympics "puts us on a stage that demonstrates the global diversity of the game. No longer will it be viewed as an elite sport," and this will "catapult the sport upward." He said the "next forty years are going to be golden age of golf globally."

As for the courses in Rio, Finchem said they have "some decent courses, not at the level to challenge these guys" and that the Tour "may build a course in partnership with the other federations."

Kann chimed in that he was envisioning a "Nicklaus design, Palmer Design, Player Design, Woods Design…" Finchem was gone so he didn't have to touch that one.

A few moments later they threw it to Inga Hammond and Adam Barr, who talked about the potential worldwide sales of "clubs, shoes, balls," and the "potentially enormous market for an industry that needs good news right now."

He also cited Brad Klein's article which suggested a private developer might bear the risk of building what Barr called "one of these mega complexes" and a "big course to handle the big players," and floated Donald Trump's name.

And Rich Lerner wrapped up with an essay where he noted that this was a "sudden financial sunrise for what had been a cloudy golf industry."

Golf Is In The Olympics; TPC Rio Next?

From Gene Yasuda's story about golf getting the official nod from the IOC:

Limited options explain why there’s already much discussion about building a new facility, and that could lead to PGA Tour Golf Course Properties unveiling a TPC-branded layout in Rio, Golfweek has learned.

“It’s a possibility,” confirmed David Pillsbury, president and chief operating officer of PGA Tour Golf Course Properties. “We will be evaluating all the courses in Rio de Janeiro and talking to prospective partners in Rio about building something similar to TPC San Antonio, with a resort, a couple golf courses and a location that would be ideal to the Olympic city.”

Update on 2009-10-09 17:16 by Geoff

From the wire story on the 2016 Olympic bid:

"There are millions of young golfers worldwide who would be proud to represent their country," Woods said from the Presidents Cup in San Francisco. "It would be an honor for anyone who plays this game to become an Olympian."

Golf was approved 63-27 with two abstentions. Rugby was voted in 81-8 with one abstention.

You can view the golf presentation to the IOC here.

Olympic Golf In Trouble?

A few stories are hinting at a possible protest vote and overall uncertainty about golf's "universality" by IOC members. Lawrence Donegan thinks some of the recent defenses from Jacques Rogge for golf's finalist slow may not bode well, whiel Owen Gibson believes the concerns may cost golf it's shot in the 2016 games.

Some IOC members retain concerns about whether the Olympics would be the pinnacle of achievement for golfers ahead of the four majors, while others argue that it does not score well on the criterion of "universality" given the expense and difficulty of developing golf courses in Africa and parts of Asia.

I don't know where they'd get any ideas like that before they've even gotten the estimate from Jack Nicklaus and Annika Sorenstam to build the official Olympic course, The Bear and The Swede. And with 60 player fields contesting glorified WGC events that has excited positively no one, how much less universal can you get than that?

And, let's hear from Peter Dawson, who heads up an all-male golf club that'll admit a woman by 2016. Maybe.

Dawson admitted some IOC members had raised concerns about whether the Olympics would represent the pinnacle of the sport but said they had not been widespread. "We have been able to allay that fear by emphasising the broad support among the world's top players. There is only one Olympic tournament for every 16 majors," he said.

And it's still just a boring old 72-hole stroke play event with a goofy world ranking-based format for entry. Zzzzzzzzz.

And then there's this protest vote bit, which is so IOC:

Some IOC members have privately voiced disgruntlement that they will not be offered a choice of sports from which to pick and have speculated that golf might suffer as a result of a protest vote.

But Craig Reedie, the British IOC member who was part of the programme commission that evaluated the seven sports, said: "The executive board clearly feels it is giving the members the guidance that was requested of them."