John Bauernfeind, a staff writer for SportsBusiness Daily, will be filing a travel blog called “In The Crowd” from the Rio Games. The Indiana University grad is in Rio with his family on behalf of BP, a USOC sponsor.
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| SBD staff writer John Bauernfeind in Rio |
A few notes from the third round of the men’s golf tournament:
The American players and fans seemed to enjoy one another’s presence. Several fans thanked the Americans for playing, and Bubba Watson even acknowledged them with a nod. Matt Kuchar was high-fiving patrons between holes. The Americans -- including Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed -- drew the biggest crowds.
The crowd wasn’t necessarily sparse, but fans could walk up to most any group and get a front- or second-row view.
Golf fans are similar across oceans. Patrons were reminded, time and time again, to stop talking, moving and taking photos. A worker stopped a man in his tracks as he kicked up rocks on a gravel walkway while talking on his phone as a player got ready to tee off. But this seems like more of an indictment of golf tournaments in general these days than Brazil and int'l fans.
The golfers wore their patriotism on their bags and wardrobes, and chants of “USA” and those of other countries popped up often. But as an Olympic sport, golf would be much more entertaining as a Ryder Cup-type event. The third round in Rio felt like a regular PGA Tour tournament. You can see what organizers were thinking when they laid out the format. But golf is 18 holes, not 100 meters. Every golfer was obviously representing their country, but it seemed like they were doing so individually, not as a group.
