Gary Player Still Thinks He Should've Landed Olympic Design Gig

AP's Tale Azzoni quotes Gary Player at length lamenting the failure to have been awarded the Rio 2016 design commission on the merits that he's traveled to Rio many times, citing politics as the reason he lost out on the opportunity despite having traveled to many Olympic cities.

Of course, he never actually mentions his design work as a reason for being selected, nor does he seem aware that Gil Hanse, the architect selected, has made an open arms pledge to those who lost out on the commission to still assist any way they see fit.

"The thing that upset me for not getting it was the fact that I've been to Brazil so many times, I've played in tournaments here, met so many people, and I thought that would count," Player said. "But it didn't. There is obviously a lot of politics in these things, so you move on."

The nine-time major winner said he didn't want to go into details of what kind of politics might have kept him from winning the bid, saying "you must never be a cry-baby when you lose." He said he felt confident after meeting with all those involved in the selection process.

"We were very optimistic. We did a very good presentation, but there's politics in everything now," he said. "You just have to be maybe more clever, I don't know. We spent a lot of money, a lot of our own money."

There's no question he'd be an amazing ambassador, but I just feel that it would have helped to have designed one course out of his 300 or so that is considered a special must-see design? Am I being too picky?

Player is in São Paulo this week to kick off the Web.com Tour's Brazil Classic.