Olympic golf opinions: five stars of the game

Just before the Berenburg Gary Player Invitational at Wentworth, five stars of the game past and present shared their differing Olympic golf opinions

Just before the Berenburg Gary Player Invitational at Wentworth, five stars of the game past and present shared their differing Olympic golf opinions

We all know from recent events and announcements that golf's return to the Olympics for the first time since 1904 has divided opinion among the stars of the game with a spate of high-profile withdrawals. But a press conference ahead of the Berenburg Gary Player Invitational at Wentworth showed just how divided stars of the game past and present were on the issue, with the five players pretty much offering up five different Olympic golf opinions.

Host of the event, Gary Player, opened up by saying how dismayed he was by the spate of withdrawals, highlighting the potential of the Games to showcase and present golf to a vast worldwide audience and potentially help grow the game in the years ahead. Despite captaining the South Africa side, he also questioned whether professional involvement was really right in the Olympics.

Seated just along from Player was one of his team's high-profile withdrawees - if such a word exists - Branden Grace. Grace has cited the impending desire to start a family as the reason for his withdrawal, simply unwilling to take what is even a small risk.

For Suzann Pettersen, the sheer importance of the Winter Olympics within her home country meant that she was 100% behind golf's Olympic return from day one.

Reigning Masters champion, Danny Willett, admitted that he had always been up for it, but understood the various reasons others had given for their withdrawals, while Tom Watson confessed to an old-school approach in which the Olympics should really be the preserve of track and field athletics.

With such a variety of opinion among such a small band, it's little wonder Olympic golf has been creating many headlines. But as Willett pointed out, there is still going to be an incredibly strong field gathered down in Rio, and those who are hoping that Olympic golf will spark growth in a game struggling at club level in many parts of the world will be keen for Olympic golf to put on a really good show that strengthens its case for ongoing inclusion beyond 2020.

 

 

 

Jeremy Ellwood
Contributing Editor

Jeremy Ellwood has worked in the golf industry since 1993 and for Golf Monthly since 2002 when he started out as equipment editor. He is now a freelance journalist writing mainly for Golf Monthly. He is an expert on the Rules of Golf having qualified through an R&A course to become a golf referee. He is a senior panelist for Golf Monthly's Top 100 UK & Ireland Course Rankings and has played all of the Top 100 plus 91 of the Next 100, making him well-qualified when it comes to assessing and comparing our premier golf courses. He has now played 1,000 golf courses worldwide in 35 countries, from the humblest of nine-holers in the Scottish Highlands to the very grandest of international golf resorts. He reached the 1,000 mark on his 60th birthday in October 2023 on Vale do Lobo's Ocean course. Put him on a links course anywhere and he will be blissfully content.

Jezz can be contacted via Twitter - @JezzEllwoodGolf


Jeremy is currently playing...

Driver: Ping G425 LST 10.5˚ (draw setting), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 55 S shaft

3 wood: Ping G425 Max 15˚ (set to flat +1), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 65 S shaft

Hybrid: Ping G425 17˚, Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro Orange 80 S shaft

Irons 3-PW: Ping i525, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 50˚ and 54˚, 12˚ bounce, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Putter: Ping Fetch 2021 model, 33in shaft (set flat 2)

Ball: Varies but mostly now TaylorMade Tour Response