The women's Olympic golf tournament began this morning in Rio, and U.S. player Stacy Lewis said that the week "can give the women's game the exposure that it needs," according to Alistair Tait of GOLFWEEK. Lewis, ranked 7th in the world, said, "This is an extremely important week for us. I think [LPGA Commissioner] Mike Whan did a really good job of moving our schedule around so we don’t play any tournaments around the Olympics. That leadership from the top just shows that this is an important week for us. This is an important week for the world to see us play even more than they already do.” Lewis said that Olympic golf "not only will boost women’s golf but could help the LPGA grow, too." Lewis: “The more people see it and experience it, the more they’ll come back. ... We’re constantly fighting for network TV. One huge part of this week is the coverage we get. It’s beyond anything we could do as a tour. We can maybe piggyback the Olympics and hopefully grow our tour and grow women’s golf" (GOLFWEEK.com, 8/16). ESPN.com's Bob Harig noted everyone in the women's game, including Whan, understands "how big this is to their niche inside a niche sport" (ESPN.com, 8/16). Whan said, "This is a bigger stage than we see week in and week out. When you talk to players all over the world about the Olympics, it’s different. It’s a different level of connection. This is a stage that’s bigger than the average stage we get” (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 8/16). LPGA Chief Communications Officer Kraig Kann said, "They're looking at this as a golden opportunity. The Olympics is the grandest stage of them all" (GOLF.com, 8/16).
GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY: USA TODAY's Steve DiMeglio notes unlike the men's tournament, "not one of the top women who was eligible to play dropped out." The field is "loaded, with 10 of the top 11 players in the world teeing it up." Lewis said, "I don't think any of the girls even really thought about not coming. It's just the way that we are on our tour. When you have an opportunity to represent your country, you go, and an opportunity to play on the biggest stage, you go" (USA TODAY, 8/17). New Zealand's Lydia Ko, the top-ranked player in the world, was asked about top male players skipping Rio and said, "I'm pretty sure that they would have watched the games, watched how the guys are playing, and a lot of them would have said, ‘Hey, that's such a great vibe, I wish I was there, too’” (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 8/16).
