British golfer Justin Rose believes winning golf's first Olympic Gold Medal in 112 years "can resonate to a new sports audience beyond golf," according to Alistair Tait of GOLFWEEK. Rose said, "It’s resonated far wider than maybe my U.S. Open victory did. Basically, people are saying to me that their kids, for example, have never been into golf before could identify with the sport a lot more because of what it represented. ... It brought golf into a context they could understand." He added, "It resonated with a younger audience. I think it takes it out of the golf world and brings it into the sports world.” Int'l Golf Federation President Peter Dawson: "It’s wonderful for our sport. The IOC members I’ve spoken to and people involved in the Olympic family are all very, very complimentary indeed about the whole four days and, in particular, the final day. So it’s been great for golf" (GOLFWEEK.com, 8/15). ESPN.com's Jason Sobel wrote it is "undeniable that this year's tournament will perpetuate the understanding that it now exists among the game's more important events." More elite players "will compete four years from now in Japan, and then -- if golf does indeed remain in the Olympics -- more and more in following years" (ESPN.com, 8/15).
OTHERS MISSED OUT: Rose said the players who opted not to play in Rio, including Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth, "probably made their decision for good reasons." However, he said, "They're going to have sat back and realised what a successful event this was." He added what makes the win "special" is that the next Olympic tournament "just doesn't come around next week." Rose: "There will be 16 majors between now and Tokyo but I have bragging rights for the next four years" (LONDON TIMES, 8/16). Rose: "Anybody making the decision going forward, I would just ask them, were you in Rio on Sunday? The crowd was incredibly well supported. It was jam packed, a sellout, which is more than some of the other events I've been watching on TV" (ESPN.com, 8/15).
SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO NOW? GOLF WORLD's Jaime Diaz wrote the tournament did not "just exceed expectations," but it was the "most joyful and proud golf tournament of the year, and perhaps many years." PGA Tour CMO and IGF VP Ty Votaw, the "point man" for the tourney, said, "This all turned out better than could have been expected." Diaz noted Votaw is "quietly confident" that when the IOC meets in September '17 to decide which events will be included in the '24 Games, golf "will get the votes that will, in essence, give it a permanent place in the Olympics" (GOLF WORLD, 8/15 issue). In Chicago, Teddy Greenstein writes under the header, "No Question About It, Golf Should Stay In The Olympics" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 8/16). Golf Channel's Rich Lerner said, "This was a fresh breeze that blew right through the sport and couldn't have come at a better time. ... This is about the happiest that I've seen this sport in a long, long time" ("Golf Central Live From The Olympics," Golf Channel, 8/14). Golf Channel's Terry Gannon: "You do get the sense from watching ... that the players who are here, it means much more than they expected it to mean" ("Rio Olympics," Golf Channel, 8/14).
ISSUING A MEA CULPA: ESPN's Scott Van Pelt admitted he "was wrong" about golf's place in the Olympic program. Van Pelt on the eve of the Olympics made a passionate case that the sport did not belong in Rio, but he said last night, "It was pretty fabulous." The event "got fortunate" in that the "best players who decided to play played the best." However, he added, "It was also evident how much the guys who went enjoyed their role as spectators to the other athletes and their pride in being Olympians. I totally underestimated that and I’m glad to be wrong." Van Pelt: "Four years is a long time, but the buzz that comes out of this ought to lure more big names to Tokyo" ("SportsCenter,” ESPN, 8/16).
LOOKING AHEAD TO THE WOMEN: The women's tournament begins tomorrow, and ESPN's Matt Barrie said with nine of the top 10 women in the world competing, it will "have a much more major championship type feel to it, with the star power that decided to compete." ESPN's Jonathan Coachman added LPGA players have "always completely embraced anything that has to do with playing for country, whichever country that is." ESPN's Sobel said, "I expect it to combine the drama of a major with the passion of the Solheim Cup. Unlike the men, nearly all of the qualified women have decided to compete this week. This means something to them -- and I think the best of the best will rise to the occasion" (ESPN.com, 8/15). In California, Larry Bohannan writes it is "nice that a lot of players from smaller countries from around the world are getting a little exposure on a pretty big stage," but it is "difficult to get away from the idea that the top players in the women’s game will dominate medal competition" (Palm Springs DESERT SUN, 8/16).
