Speaking to reporters before the British Open at Royal Troon, the world’s No. 3 player called himself “a huge believer in Olympic golf”.
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“And I get that”.
The Northern Irishman also claimed that the world’s top golfers had not been asked about whether they would want take part before the decision was made to include it.
Golf’s leading male stars have “let down the rest of the sport very badly” with their withdrawal from the Olympics, according to Ladies European Tour chief executive Ivan Khodabakhsh. “Under the World Anti-Doping Code, anti-doping organizations are required to implement testing programs that test the right athletes, the right way, for the right substances at the right time, and WADA will continue to monitor anti-doping programs in golf as it does with all other sports as part of its Code compliance activities”.
“I told him he had to do what was best for himself”, Fowler added after giving a lesson to schoolchildren at Troon as part of the HSBC Hour, which offers an hour of free golf to children and their families at nearly 300 golf clubs across the UK.
“But whether there’s something out there where it can make you an overall better player, I’m not sure”. Then when I watch these guys competing on the golf course.
“But I’ve spent seven years trying to please everyone and figured out that I can’t really do that, so I may as well be true to myself”.
Player, who is also the captain of South Africa’s first Olympic golf team, said he wouldn’t blame the Olympic Committee for kicking golf out of future games as a result of so many notable players refusing to attend.
“It is now more about how we position golf in the future beyond Tokyo”.
“For example, HGH is something you can’t really pick up in a urine test”.
He maximised his vast local knowledge at the Postage Stamp, using the contours of the famous par-three eighth green to get his tee shot to nine feet and move to two under, which became three under with his fifth birdie of the day at the next. So I think blood testing is something that needs to happen in golf just to make sure that it is a clean sport going forward.
“It nearly seems a shame you can’t give that opportunity to athletes who would really, really want it”. But at the same time that’s not the reason I got into golf. There are drugs that can help your concentration.
“Once I got into my rhythm, I started to hit good shots”.
McIlroy, who has opted not to play in Rio this summer, has said he may not even watch the upcoming Olympic golf tournament and instead view “stuff that matters” at the Games.
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“But I was aware of the pledge which was signed to say that they would be there if golf managed to get in the Olympics”.
