You just have to take it with stride, and I’ve been beat many times on the golf course. Baker-Finsh suggested this could suit the Australia’s Olympic golfers Marcus Fraser, Scott Hend, Minjee Lee and Su Oh.
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Reed, who represented the United States in the 2014 Ryder Cup and 2015 Presidents Cup, said donning the Stars and Stripes for the Olympics was “just as special” as the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup or any other worldwide competition.
“No matter what happens this week, it’s the greatest week of my life”, two-time major champion Martin Kaymer said.
Bubba Watson was desperately trying to land tickets to the handball competition. He has been hanging out with other athletes and teams and attending as many events as possible each evening. Nick Faldo, NBC’s lead golf analyst, has opined: “You know when you realize you’ve made a really bad decision but it’s impossible to change, how you get the cold sweats and the s-ts”.
The biggest thrill for so many has been hanging around so many Olympians. Adilson da Silva of Brazil was chosen to hit the opening tee shot Thursday morning.
Better yet? He set an Olympic record Thursday, though that was hardly a surprise considering golf had not been part of the Olympics since 1904.
“Get your jacket!” Bubba said of the Team USA official garment fitted for all players in the event of earning a spot on the medal podium. Without the ability to conduct an NCAA-style championship – where individual scores contribute to team scores over four days of stroke and two days of match play – there just isn’t time in the middle of a busy PGA Tour schedule to do both. That should ease some of the concerns in the International Olympic Committee has about having golf in future Olympic Games.
Thankfully, we did make it on time to meet up with Fowler, who had no problems getting to the golf course but then teed off and immediately started making wrong turns himself.
Now, in the middling period of the Games, the much-maligned golf event has its time to shine, under skies that have gone rather gloomy suddenly.
The course designer, Gil Hanse, has said the lack of trees promote wind movement and if Rio has its typical windy August conditions the course will provide a really tough challenge. It also offers a three-hole finish that could leave the outcome in doubt until the last hole.
He would love to leave Rio with a gold medal around his neck. A surprise victor from a developing golf nation like Li Haotong of China or Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand? A dominant performance like Stenson at Royal Troon?
“We are extremely grateful that Padraig, Michelle, Suzann [Pettersen] and Matteo were able to join us to help communicate the genuine interest world-class players of all ages share in golf becoming an Olympic sport”, Dawson said.
One unknown remains the size of the gallery.
The early wave enjoyed solid scoring conditions at Olympic Golf Course, allowing Fowler to shoot 7-under 64 and surge into a tie for 14th. It belongs, because it is older than all but a few sports in the Olympic program. The IGF said about 58 percent of the tickets have been sold, with Sunday a sellout of 12,000.
It is up to Garcia, pictured, Willett, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson, and every other golfer to put on a show of affection for this occasion, even as they battle the elements and each other. Not even the most dominant player of his era, Tiger Woods, could guarantee victories in any given week.
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“I think the event is going to go off great”, world number 20 Kuchar said. “There were more mobile phones and cameras than normal, I guess because it’s a different crowd out there than we normally have”.
