Opinion | Golf may not seem par for the course in Olympics but for now at least it’s here to stay
Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson staged an epic medal duel to help the much maligned profile of golf in the Games
There is no debate and the point is moot. Golf is an Olympic sport and just like the transcendent pair of sprinter Usain Bolt and swimmer Michael Phelps, golfers Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson and Matt Kuchar are Olympic medallists.
That is an irrefutable and undeniable truth and how you feel about golf being in the Olympics this year is immaterial in the pursuit of cold hard facts.
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy was the number four ranked player in the world and a former number one. He does not believe golf belongs in the Olympics and was explicit in saying so. “I will watch the Olympics, but not golf,” he said. “Honestly, I’ll be watching the stuff that matters.”
Like what, dressage and show jumping?
As elitist as golf may seem, I can absolutely, unequivocally guarantee you that there are millions more people playing the game than doing show jumping on the back of a powerful Danish warmblood.
