Before the Olympic golf competition kicked off on Thursday, Rickie Fowler and Bubba Watson were listed by the oddsmakers (both 12/1, according to Golfodds.com) to finish just shy of winning a golf medal in Rio.
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Then the games began, and, well, things did not go so well for Rickie, particularly.
On Thursday, a more subdued Fowler acknowledged an American sweep, which the US women accomplished when golf was first played in the Olympics in 1900, had become much more hard.
That’s a long drive from the message Rory McIlroy offered last month when he announced he would be skipping the Olympics. It’s just too bad that he has to play golf while he is there.
While others conquered Gil Hanse’s beautifully designed track – most notably Australia’s Marcus Fraser, whose 8-under 63 leads the way by three shots – Fowler struggled to a 75. His Team USA counterparts fared better, with Kuchar, at T11 after carding a 69, looking like the United States’ best shot to take home a medal. Ryder Cup captain tuned in for Day 1 coverage from the Olympics he likely didn’t like what he saw. “It’s cool. Like I said, they have done a great job with the golf course, keeping somewhat of the natural habitat – if I was capybara, I mean, I’d love to live there at the Olympic course”. For Fowler, a four-putt on the first hole didn’t help.
He went on to rave about how great the Olympic experience is, while once again noting that “golf gets in the way”. Little things here and there changes it. Three-putts change momentum.
Belgium’s Thomas Pieters and Australia’s Marcus Fraser were alongside An on three under, while three-time major victor Padraig Harrington had birdied the fifth to get back to level par after a bogey on the first. “Cost me, made me a quick seven”. “I’m like, yes, no, wait, he’s trying to beat me”, Watson said.
“I’m a huge fan of all racket games”, said Kuchar, who won a consolation title in 2009 in the USTA National Husband-Wife Doubles Championship with wife Sybi, who played tennis at Georgia Tech. “I mean, I couldn’t have hit the ball worse and couldn’t putt worse”. “I hit a lot of good putts that didn’t go in – some misreads, and some wind just being a factor”. On golf and Olympic drug testing, he’s grateful: “I’m just glad they don’t drug test the announcers”.
“The nerves don’t get me very many places”.
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But for Fowler, Watson, Reed and Kuchar, there will be no regrets. In Rio, he says, “I’m not sure what I’ll be doing outside of golf”, although he’ll definitely talk to NBC primetime Olympic host Bob Costas for a Golf Channel show debuting August 23.
