NEWS: Olympic Golf Format Announced
A FEW months ago, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted to put golf forward as one of the two additions to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
And although it has not yet been fully confirmed – the IOC will make a decision this month on the eventual outcome – it is almost certain that our game will return to the prestigious competition for the first time since 1904.
But, with such a variety of sports offering different rulings when it comes to Olympic competition – such as boxing, which only permits amateur athletes to participate in the games – there has been a big question mark hanging over how golf will transfer to the games.
Not any more – the International Golf Federation (IGF), the body responsible for getting golf into the mix for Olympic inclusion, recently released a statement that sheds light on the matter.
And there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the proposed format and qualifying process.
The IGF have planned ‘a 72-hole individual stroke play for both men and women’ which would ‘mirror the format used in golf's Major championships’.
And this is no big surprise – the format is a tried-and-tested one – but the way the field is picked has raised a few eyebrows.
Instead of each country selecting their representatives, as in other sports, the IGF want the 60-player field to qualify based on their position in the world rankings.
The top 15 will qualify no matter where they are from, but for those outside this cut line, it is a little more complicated.
The rest of the 60-man field will be filled by players from countries that do not have two or more representatives.
This sounds fair, but the list of players who would miss out as a result is laughable.
For instance, if the USA team were to be picked for the games today, they would have a six-strong squad.
This is because six Americans are currently in the world’s top 15. But anyone outside that line from the States would lose out.
This means that players such as Anthony Kim and Hunter Mahan would be missing.
Likewise it would mean that a few of Britain’s best, for example Ian Poulter, Luke Donald and Graeme McDowell, would be watching from the sidelines because Lee Westwood and Paul Casey would be picked automatically.
On the other side of the coin, this would mean that players with considerably less experience, talent and skill would be at the games.
Players like Angelo Que who is the current world No 374 would be in because of the lack of Filippino players in the field.
There are arguments for and against this method.
On the one hand you have the positive – a field of diverse players who are bringing the game to a new audience.
But the result may well be a one-sided tournament dominated by those players in the top 30.
Whichever way you see this decision, at least our game is on its way to being back on the world’s radar – and that can only be a good thing.
In the picture: Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell - two golfers who would both miss out on the games if teams were selected today, even though they're firmly in the world's top 50