Modest proposal to improve golf in 2016 Olympics
Golf will return to the Olympics in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but if the field were filled today based on the International Golf Federation’s current proposed plan the host nation would be shut out of the men’s competition.
It would also exclude more than half of the world’s top 50 players, more than two-thirds of the top 100 and up to 15 nations that were theoretically the targets of the whole growth initiative that golf’s Olympics bid was based upon.
That’s not exactly the recipe golf needs to avoid being, as one international columnist opined, “the dullest competition of the games” and avoid being dropped after 2020.
“We need to put on a good competition in ’16 or otherwise the potential exists that we could be out after ’20,” PGA Tour vice president Ty Votaw said in 2009 after being one of the principle leaders in golf’s bid to secure a spot in the Olympics after more than a century’s absence.
Unfortunately, the proposed 60-player men’s and women’s competitions will have so little depth and such a limited scope that it figures to be practically dead on arrival unless the IGF can convince the International Olympics Committee to accept some tweaks to boost participation and intrigue.
As is, the fields would be smaller and significantly weaker than current limited-field WGC events and have no national-team component.
“At the end of the day you’re still playing for yourself in a way, the way the format is at the minute,” said Rory McIlroy, the No. 1 golfer in the world who won last week’s PGA Championship.
Even R&A chief executive Peter Dawson seems uninspired by the format he helped spearhead across the finish line three years ago.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to make the Olympic competition a little bit different, at least, from the week in, week out competition?” Dawson said after last month’s British Open. “But thoughts of an element of match play, thoughts of an element of team competition have been raised with us many times, and it’s those areas we’ll be having a look at.”
But Dawson stressed the chances of changing in the next four years – even though the Olympic course in Brazil hasn’t started construction – are small.
“Golf’s bid was based on individual competition,” he said. “It was accepted on individual competition, 72‑hole stroke play. In order for that to be changed – and I’m not sure that it ought to be changed – but if it were to be, we’d have to get agreement from the IOC sports department.”
Through all the buildup leading to the IOC accepting golf’s bid in 2009, IGF officials argued inclusion in the Olympics would be the catalyst for governments to release funds to support golf development programs in countries where the game’s growth is embryonic.
Dawson spoke of “maximizing the number of countries that can earn a medal.”
The original proposal called for the top 15 players in the world ranking to be included regardless of nationality, but the IOC has asked for a maximum of four players per nation. There are currently nine Americans in the top 15, meaning five would be excluded under the limits.
But exclusive national team limits are in keeping with other Olympics sports and should help open the door for other nation’s to be included.
Format is another matter. It’s unlikely the world’s best players will be willing to squeeze in more than 72 holes to represent their countries in what will already be a Ryder Cup year for many of the representatives from Europe and the United States.
Tiger Woods, one of the key figures in sparking interest from the IOC, endorses the standard stroke-play format.
“One of the things that’s positive about a straight 72-hole format is that it provides the opportunity to have the most players on the back nine with an chance to win a medal,” Woods said.
There are simple ways, however, to tweak the current format that would create even more medal opportunities – including national teams – without forcing the players to play more than 72 holes.
Doubling the field size could include up to 50 percent more nations and 30 percent more of the world’s best players to spark the competition.
If the field were established based on the official world rankings after last month’s British Open, the current IGF proposed format would only include 23 of the top 50 players, 32 of the top 100 and players from 31 nations. None of the players would hail from Brazil and only six from South America and three from Africa.
By inviting 21 four-man national teams – with a minimum of two per continent plus an automatic team invitation to the host nation – and up to 36 more individual entries (maximum two per nation), a maximum field of 120 would have world-ranked players from at least 46 nations. It would include as many as 30 of the top 50 and 45 of the top 100.
This alternative proposal would include 21 golfers from South America, including national teams from Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Chile. At least eight players from each continent would be guaranteed a spot in the Olympics.
The format would remain 72-hole stroke play, with a 36-hole cut that keeps each member of the top 10 teams (based on cumulative score of the top three scorers each day) plus any players among the top 50 scorers including ties. You would end up with somewhere between 50 and 70 players reaching the weekend.
After 72 holes, individual and team gold, silver and bronze medals would be awarded. The team medals would be based on the cumulative totals of the team’s top three scorers every day – similar to the way the NCAA Tournament used to operate.
In this alternative fomat, the top-ranked players still get to play for themselves and Olympic glory while also being part of a team that requires no extra effort. The bonus is guys down the pecking order of the leaderboard will still have to play their guts out because the team score and medal hopes are counting on them.
That could be just enough to make the Olympics stand out a little bit from the already crowded golf schedule that features majors, WGCs and tour playoffs.
“We have seven big events right now in this stretch, and we’re adding an eighth,” said Woods. “It’s going to be a very, very busy summer for us as golfers. But it’s also the Olympics, and it is a very big event and something that we haven’t historically been involved in. It’s always a first to be involved in something to that magnitude, and if I make it, that would be great.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALTERNATIVE FIELD AND FORMAT FOR GOLF IN THE 2016 OLYMPICS
ENTRIES
Take four-player teams from a maximum of 21 countries, using the world rankings to fill out the team rosters. After eight continental minimum teams are fulfilled plus an automatic invitation to a team from the host nation, the remaining 11 teams can be based on average world rankings or establish qualifying tournaments in three regions (Americas, Europe/Africa, Asia/Oceania).
Take a maximum of 36 individual entries. Limit two individual entries per nation unless.
That would be a maximum field of 120 players.
FORMAT
Play 72 holes of stroke play, with a 36-hole cut that keeps each member of the top 10 teams (based on cumulative score of the top three scorers each day) plus any players among the top 50 scorers including ties. You would likely end up with somewhere between 50 and 70 players reaching the weekend.
Continue playing the remaining 36 holes, awarding individual gold, silver and bronze medals. Individuals who make the cut would be qualified to earn world ranking points.
Award the gold, silver and bronze team medals based on the cumulative totals of the team’s top three scorers every day.
FIELD
Here’s a list of teams and competitors if it was based on the world rankings list as of the conclusion of the 2012 British Open. Players are listed by world ranking and the team’s average world rank is in parentheses.
This field would include as many as 30 of the top 50, 45 of the top 100 and world-ranked players from 46 or more nations.
The current IGF proposed format would only include 23 of the top 50, 32 of the top 100 and players from 31 nations.
CONTINENTAL PARTICIPANTS
Europe - 51
Asia - 31
South America - 21
North America - 12
Oceania - 10
Africa - 9
TEAMS
HOST NATION (1)
BRAZIL (850.5)
468. Adilson da Silva
825. Alexandre Rocha
932. Lucas Lee
1177. Fernando Mechereffe
NORTH AMERICA (2)
USA (5.5)
2. Tiger Woods
5. Webb Simpson
7. Bubba Watson
8. Jason Dufner
CANADA (300.25)
210. David Hearn
233. Graham Delaet
341. Adam Hadwin
434. Richard Scott
SOUTH AMERICA (2)
ARGENTINA (202.75)
11. Andres Romero
220. Angel Cabrera
212. Ricardo Gonzalez
335. Tano Goya
COLOMBIA (457.5)
159. Camilo Villegas
427. Camilo Benedetti
618. Diego Vanegas
661. Rafael Romero
EUROPE (2)
GREAT BRITAIN (19.0)
1. Luke Donald
4. Lee Westwood
10. Justin Rose
28. Ian Poulter
SWEDEN (39.0)
30. Peter Hanson
39. Carl Pettersson
41. Fredrik Jacobson
55. Robert Karlsson
AFRICA (2)
SOUTH AFRICA (32.0)
15. Ernie Els
19. Louis Oosthuizen
22. Charl Schwartzel
52. Branden Grace
ZIMBABWE (806.0)
125. Brendon de Jonge
639. Ryan Cairns
1,268. TC Charamba
1,269. Ignatius Mkwtekete
ASIA (2)
SOUTH KOREA (50.5)
36. K.J. Choi
42. Bae Sang-moon
76. K.T. Kim
82. Y.E. Yang
JAPAN (84.75)
64. Ryo Ishikawa
72. Hiroyuki Fujita
88. Toru Taniguchi
136. Koumei Oda
OCEANIA (2)
AUSTRALIA (29.75)
6. Adam Scott
21. Jason Day
35. John Senden
48. Geoff Ogilvy
NEW ZEALAND (407.5)
193. Danny Lee
396. David Smail
516. Steven Alker
541. Michael Hendry
WILDCARD NATIONS (11)
IRELAND/NORTHERN IRELAND (41.0)
3. Rory McIlroy
11. Graeme McDowell
60. Padraig Harrington
89. Darren Clarke
SPAIN (41.75)
25. Sergio Garcia
43. Gonzalo Fdez-Castano
44. Rafael Cabrera Bello
46. Alvaro Quiros
DENMARK (86.5)
40. Thomas Bjorn
53. Anders Hansen
99. Thorbjorn Olesen
119. Soren Kjeldsen
ITALY (110.25)
23. Francesco Molinari
65. Matteo Manassero
163. Edoardo Molinari
211. Lorenzo Gagli
FRANCE (144.5)
110. Raphael Jacquelin
138. Victor Dubuisson
146. Gregory Havret
166. Julien Quesne
THAILAND (152.25)
108. Thongchai Jaidee
133. Thaworn Wiratchant
179. Kiradech Aphibarnrat
211. Prayad Marksaeng
GERMANY (232.75)
18. Martin Kaymer
59. Marcel Siem
363. Alex Cejka
463. Maximilian Kieffer
INDIA (251.25)
86. Jeev Milkha Singh
207. Anirban Lahiri
282. Gaganjeet Bhullar
358. S.S.P. Chowrasia
AUSTRIA (349.25)
113. Bernd Wiesberger
421. Markus Brier
450. Martin Wiegele
493. Florian Praegant
NETHERLANDS (352.25)
92. Joost Luiten
311. Robert-Jan Derksen
476. Guido Van Der Valk
570. Tim Sluiter
PHILIPPINES (415.75)
154. Juvic Pagunsan
490. Tony Lascuna
508. Elmer Salvador
572. Angelo Que
CHILE (445.25)
222. Felipe Aguilar
425. Mark Tullo
454. Benjamin Alvarado
788. Hugo Leon
INDIVIDUALS (36)
33. Nicolas Colsaerts, Belgium
78. Vijay Singh, Fiji
137. Jhonattan Vegas, Venezuela
175. Siddikur Rahman, Bangladesh
191. Fabrizio Zanotti, Paraguay
206. Ricardo Santos, Portugal
243. Lu Wei-chih, Taiwan
321. Mardan Mamat, Singapore
349. Mikko Ilonen, Finland
413. Liang Wen-Chong, China
430. Jose-Filipe Lima, Portugal
497. Joonas Granberg, Finland
509. Chan Yih-Shin, Taiwan
510. Zaw Moe, Myanmar
545. Marco Ruiz, Paraguay
565. Jose de Jesus Rodriguez, Mexico
626. Espen Kofstad, Norway
665. Pierre Relecom, Belgium
717. Danny Chia, Malaysia
728. Mithun Perera, Sri Lanka
732. Zhang Xin-jun, China
733. Martin Rominger, Switzerland
740. Knut Borsheim, Norway
785. Oscar Serna, Mexico
810. Rafael Campos, Puerto Rico
879. Robert Wiederkehr, Switzerland
958. Quincy Quek, Singapore
972. Guillermo Pumarol, Dominican Republic
993. Shaaban Hussein, Malaysia
995. Diego Larrazabal, Venezuela
1,075. Birgir Hafthorsson, Iceland
1,161. Dinesh Chand, Fiji
1,288. Rafael Claux, Peru
1,405. Madalitso Muthiya, Zambia
