Baker-Finch: Olympics Needs Team Format ASAP

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Some of us don't want to say I told you so, but it's fascinating to hear a narrative brewing from those dealing with the players who are passing on the Olympics: Zika virus and the format.

As I noted on ShackHouse this week, a very solid source has told me that the South Africans are passing largely because of concerns about the Zika virus and their desires to have children free of birth defects, but I didn't get to mention in the show, it was also pointed out that the format does not force players into a team situation.

AAP talked to Ian Baker-Finch who all but backed this up with his "team" Australia member Adam Scott.

"I don't think people realise that Adam is not letting anyone down. It's his decision and he's entitled to make it. I am disappointed he won't be with us but I totally understand his position."

Baker-Finch has passed on his thoughts to the International Golf Federation.

While Gary Player and others fear the pullouts will affect the vote to keep the sport in the Games past 2020, Baker-Finch hopes it will just make them heed format change calls.

"I think it will make them think about making it a team competition. I'd even love to see it as a mixed team even - that would be awesome."

I don't know the feasibility of mixed, but it's fascinating as a longtime format hater to see so many no only coming around to a team element, but actually suggesting that such a format forces players to show up compared to an individual stroke play tournament.

Also, there is the radar issue for players: this is a first year event. Granted, as Baker-Finch pointed out last weekend it's also the world's oldest sports gathering, but Jason Day explained why that doesn't mean much to golfers. Ryan Lavner reports.

Schwartzel Passing On Rio Too, Another Crisis Averted

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Charl Schwartzel is telling South African Olympic team captain Gary Player he can take his Olympic dreams and live them out through someone else, joining fellow countryman Louis Oosthuizen in announcing on the eve of more rigorous drug testing that he's skipping the Rio games. His reasons, if you care, were not clear.

Gary Player was not pleased, reports AFP:

"I would have given anything to play in the Olympics. South Africa had a great team, but now obviously, it will not be as good."

Yes, but I'm not sure golf could survive another rally-killing major win by the South African. One was enough.

Louis Out Of Olympics, Yet To Cite Conflict With Deere Classic

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When you think of golfers with real passion for their craft and country, you don't think of Louis Oosthuizen. Making for a nice contrast with another Olympic defector, Adam Scott, who is a passionate, international figure and who will be missed in Rio, Oosthuizen's decision to pass is less impactful.

Doug Ferguson reports that Oosthuizen is declaring himself ineligible for family/scheduling/yadayada reasons.

Not coincidentally, the John Deere Classic is the same week as the men's golf competition in Rio and Louis's love of tractors chould be pulling him to Iowa. If that happens then we know where his true passion lies. After all, he bought himself a Deere after winning The Open. Not that there's anything wrong with that!

Reaction To Scott's Olympic Pass Is Swift, But Don't Blame Him

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Even though he'd telegraphed this for some time and made clear he thinks the 2016 summer schedule stinks (it does), Adam Scott stuck to his position and declared himself a no-go for Rio. I explained to George Savaricus on Golf Central that we shouldn't be shocked by the news, though I do think Scott will ultimately be disappointed he didn't play because of the course quality, the potential for golf to have a great start in a Rio Games that has no other new standout sport, and in a field where he has a great chance to medal.

Reaction from golf luminaries and Aussies was not quite so understanding.

Jack Nicklaus called it "sad for the Olympics and for the game of golf," reports Dave Shedloski for GolfDigest.com.

Johnny Miller could sympathize with Scott--shoot he doesn't want to go to Rio either--but he felt the Aussie needed to grin and bear it. Rob Oller reporting for the Columbus Dispatch.

“Do I want to go all the way down to Rio for the Olympics? No, but yes,” Miller said. “I know it’s important for golf, and my job is to build up the tournament, to build up the players when they deserve it and to build up the growth of the game. So I have a big responsibility that week to make people who wouldn’t normally watch golf say, ‘Dang, this is a pretty cool sport.’ ”

Down Under, two Australian Olympians were not impressed, reports Nick Martin.

Dawn Fraser, one of the great female swimmers of the 20th century, took to Facebook to voice her displeasure with Scott’s recent announcement. The a 78-year old Olympic medalist — she is one of only three swimmers in the Games’ history to three-peat in a single event — and self-described “proud Australian” lambasted the golfer for opting out of the 2016 games, insinuating greed drove Scott’s decision to pass on Rio.

“well done Adam great to put your country on hold so that you can fulfill your own schedule
how much money do you want in life
not showing much for your country
I guess working 3 jobs a week to secure my place as a Olympic swimmer has giver me the strength to say what I feel about sporstmen and women that do this”

In his defense, the schedule of two majors and the Olympics in a five-week stretch is absurd. This was started by the PGA's commitment to Baltusrol long before golf even thought it was going to get in the Games.

However, the PGA also probably should have been moved to early fall, after the Games and U.S. Open tennis in Flushing Meadows. However, that would have required the PGA of America and CBS to figure out a way to work around fare more lucrative college and pro football schedules, or, for the network to have not televised the PGA in 2016, allowing for a date change. But, grow-the-game efforts only mean something up to a point, and this was not one of them. So even if you don't agree with Adam, remember that the schedule mess could have been resolved if some were willing to make concessions in the name of a rare, one-off, bizarre situation superceded by the apparently vitality to "grow the game."

The parties controlling the most meddlesome of the championship dates did not feel the need and therefore some players will be unwilling to make scheduling concessions.

Why Adam Scott Not Playing In Rio Hurts

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Because he's well-liked and has staked himself to a consistent Olympic position, Adam Scott won't take much heat for deciding he'd like to have a life this summer while trying to win The Open and the PGA.

His statement via Golf Australia:

“My decision has been taken as a result of an extremely busy playing schedule around the time of the Olympics and other commitments, both personal and professional,” Scott said today.

“I have informed the Australian team captain (Ian Baker-Finch) and relevant authorities, who are understanding of my position and I wish the Australian Olympic team the very best of luck in Rio.”

However, unlike Vijay's decision to pass after intially expressing enthusiasm, Scott's decision to pass is a blow to the Olympic golf movement. Not a deadly one. Just a blow. Here is why:

- As a global golfer who represents very international brands in Rolex, Titleist and Uniqlo, Scott appreciates his place as an international ambassador. He didn't take this decision lightly.

- The Rio Olympic course is by an architect he likes who channeled sandbelt aesthetics and principles. So the golf course was not an issue.

- He was a lock to make Rio and could easily plan for the inconvenience, yet still chose to pass. At least, unlike Vijay, he didn't mention a desire to win some FedExCup points.

- This may be Scott's best chance at a medal. Four years from now he will be pushing forty and less likely to have his game as sound as it is now.

- Coupled with any more high profile passes on Rio, there is a danger of momentum building toward a negative sensibility come early August.

All of this goes back to the PGA of America committing to Baltusrol very early for 2016 to tie into the anniversary of their founding, along with the leadership of golf finding no major scheduling solutions to alleviate this summer's logjam without sacrificing money or a spot on the network schedule. Dropping the utterly droppable WGC in Akron for a year would have been a nice gesture, though even that might not have changed the thinking of someone like Adam Scott.

But if more players drop out and the schedule turns out to be the reason, the decision to work the PGA Championship around the fall football schedule will have major implications for Olympic golf.

 

Nightmare Scenario Averted: Vijay To Pass On Rio Games

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The only thing more potentially deadly for Olympic golf's future than alligators and Zika viruses would have been a shock Gold Medal win by Fiji's Vijay Singh.

The Big Fijian is still attempting to play the PGA Tour and needs to those FedExCup points instead of the Olympic golf he once pined for so much that he agreed to let the Prime Minister announce his role.

Rex Hoggard reports.

“The timing of it, you know I have to focus over here [on the PGA Tour]. I would like to play the Olympics, but the Zika virus, you know and all that crap,” Singh told GolfChannel.com on Tuesday at the RBC Heritage.

He won't be missed. 

Five Families Exempt Olympic Gold Medal Winners Who Will Probably Already Be Exempt Anyway

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The leaders of five of golf's six families convened for a press conference in Augusta to reaffirm their support for the Olympics and to announced that the Olympic Gold Medal winners will earn spots into the Masters, U.S. Open, The Open, PGA, ANA Inspiration, KPMG Women's PGA, U.S. Women's Open and Women's British Open. Rex Hoggard with the details at GolfChannel.com.

The winner will almost surely be exempt, but just in case there is a shock winner of the gold from far down the world ranking list, they are covered. It wasn't press conference worthy, except for the enjoyably awkward no-show by the PGA Tour, which unintentionally reaffirmed The Players as a non-major by tabling a decision until they could get Policy Board together to vote.

The PGA Tour's statement:

PGA TOUR statement on Olympic eligibility category for golf’s major championships

We applaud the major championships in the men's and women's games in making this decision. From the very beginning, every organization in the game of golf, including the PGA TOUR, has been dedicated to making the Olympic golf competition a significant and important event in our sport. Creating an eligibility category into golf's major championships for the winner of the Olympic golf competitions demonstrates that commitment and is a very meaningful step in the continuation of that process.

With respect to eligibility into The PLAYERS Championship for the winner of the men's Olympic golf competition, we have a different process than that of the major championships with respect to our regulations and eligibility categories and we will be initiating that process with our Policy Board and Players Advisory Council in the coming weeks.

First Rio Test Event Pictures Surfacing!

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As much as I'd love to be watching the golf played this week in Rio, the Olympic test event is best played in semi-privacy with the big reveal coming this August.

Still, with luminaries assembling in Rio to watch the Strapffs and Barcellos' of the world test out Gil Hanse's Rio Olympic course (Bob Harig explains), we have to at least enjoy the driplets appearing on social media.

From Alexandre Rocha showing the course with a mini-review:



Big stars are racking up major miles!

The one and only Instagram post from Olympic golf Rio. So far:


My chat with Gary Williams on Morning Drive explaining why it's a better scenario not to see the "test event" on TV with stars this week:

Rio Test Event No-Shows Invalidating Olympic Golf!?

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There is plenty of apathy toward Olympic golf and certainly one can understand if the ill will is prompted by the format or clogged golf schedule.

But to suggest that a weak field for next week's one-day test event is proof positive seems like a silly stretch. It should be remembered that this test event is one day, and a day that has moved around with great uncertainty. It's hardly a shock that the world's best players were not clamoring to get to Rio for 18 holes.

My colleague at GolfDigest.com, Joel Beall, counted the weak field as business as usual for Olympic golf's return. I can accept that point of view, but it was AP's Tim Dahlberg's column that made no sense, unless it was a continuation of the weird Associated Press (sans Doug Ferguson) hatred for golf in the Rio Olympics.

Dahlberg cites the availability of a jet provided by the PGA Tour (to Rio...an overnight flight) as proof positive that golf in the Olympics is dead on arrival.

The refusal of any players to go to Brazil for the test event does more than reflect a widespread ambivalence toward the Olympics. It's a statement that chasing dollars on the PGA Tour is far more important than chasing Olympic gold.

That may change as the Olympics draw closer. But for now playing for Olympic gold seems more like an abstract concept than anything else.

Or more simply, that it's a long way to go for one round of golf?

Report: Rio Olympic Course Boosting The Environment

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Dan Palmer at Inside The Games says documents released by the State of Rio de Janeiro Department of Justice indicate that the Olympic golf course is boosting the environment.

The course was long assumed to be a virtual toxic waste dump, but that was when the locals were envisioning a turf nursery and before they started testing the waters.

Documents released by the State of Rio de Janeiro Department of Justice reportedly say the course in Barra da Tijuca has "contributed to the growth of local vegetation" in the Marapendi area.

The document is in Portugese, so I'm still working on a translation.