Construction work on the Olympic golf course for the 2016 Rio Games "is behind schedule and a planned test event may not be possible," according to Martyn Herman of REUTERS. Int'l Golf Federation President and Royal & Ancient CEO Peter Dawson said that "while he was impressed with the proposed coastal layout, progress was worryingly slow." Dawson: "We are not satisfied. I was down there just recently, and while the design of the course looks really good, the progress with the construction is not where we want it to be. There are no green shoots on the course yet -- unless they are weeds." As is the case in all Olympic venues, the IOC "requires organisers to carry out test events in the build-up to the Games so that problems can be ironed out in good time." However, Rio organizers "are running out of time to organise a tournament on the Gilbert Hanse-designed course." Dawson: "There have been so many revisions to the plan it's quite hard to say how far behind they are, but I think we are going to struggle to get a test event a year before the Games" (REUTERS, 3/27).
