It’s taken more than a century to get golf back into the Olympics.
The best players in the world are not in Rio, that’s a given.
But the competition will go on and the Gold is up for grabs.
Then it’s Silver and a Bronze, not sure anyone is too excited about those.
Golfers are unique to these games. “We get paid very well to play our sport,” explained Germany’s Martin Kaymer. “So many of these Olympic athletes have to have jobs in order to work at their sport in their off time.”
Many of these golfers like Kaymer are millionaires many times over. So many of the other athletes — the sailors, the rowers, the fencers, the boxers — make no money compared to the guys who compete on the PGA and European Tours.
Yes, golfers are Rolex-wearin’, private jet flyin’, limo-ridin’ fortunate sons.
That being said, it’s time to get down to the task of exploring who might be wearing the gold medal on Sunday.
Henrik Stenson: The Open champion is the betting favorite. He has form and momentum on his side. Was right there at the PGA. He has had some time off to spend some private time with the Claret Jug. He’s rested, it’s just a matter of how he adapts to this course created for these games. Depends on his putter. Haven’t we heard that before?
Patrick Reed: Of the American contingent, he may be in the best form. Played well at The Travelers and he’s proven he can win outside the United States.
Justin Rose: The former U.S. Open champion hasn’t been heard from in a long time. He’s battled a bad back but it’s time for him to prove he can still be a factor in a major competition.
Martin Kaymer: He’s been hanging around in the majors and should be a factor this week. If not the Gold, you might bet this guy will make it to the medal podium.
Sergio Garcia: Could this make up for Sergio’s lack of a major championship? Perhaps this week will mirror the major season and we’ll have a Gold medalist who has not won a major. Could it be Sergio’s time? Might be.
Bubba Watson: One simple fact. He’s never won outside the United States. Never.
Rickie Fowler: This hasn’t been Rickie’s year. Can’t see this being Rickie’s week.
Ben-An: A stalwart of the European Tour. How about an Asian winning Gold? Great darkhorse pick.
Rafa Cabrera-Bello: Has been breaking through on the European Tour. Has the game to win.
Danny Lee: Another great darkhorse pick.
Danny Willett: Hasn’t done much since winning the Masters. Can’t see him winning this week.
Emiliano Grillo: Has the will and the skill but maybe not enough experience.
Matt Kuchar: Basically Kooch top tens them to death on the PGA Tour. A top 10 here gets you a handshake.
Anirban Lahiri: Another great darkhorse pick.
When you look at this field, overall, it’s pretty sub-standard. Only 60 players, much like a WGC event, but totally lacking the star power and strength of a WGC event.
There are only six players in the field who have won major championships (Stenson, Kaymer, Harrington, Willett, Watson, Rose) and only three (Kaymer, Harrington, Watson) with more than one major.
There are some who are less than thrilled with the field’s overall quality. IOC member Barry Maister from New Zealand, who won a gold medal in 1976 as a member of his county’s (get this) field hockey team, is generally irritated by the lack of the world’s best golfers in the field:
“The Olympics is about the best and they (golf) pledged the best. Quite frankly, any sport that cannot deliver its best athletes in my view, should not be there.”
Oops.
Still, the games go on and the golf goes on starting Thursday.
Okay, the Olympics love a Cinderella story, so thus we have our ultimate darkhorse candidate:
Kiradech Aphibarnrat from Thailand.
He’s the most non-athletic looking guy at the Olympics. He’s 5-foot-8 and at least 235 pounds. If you want to be politically correct, you could say he’s portly, husky or something like that. Fact is, he’s flat-out fat.
So we’re going with a fat guy to win the gold.
Go Kiradech!
