Imagine being the world’s best two players for a long time and never appearing in the Olympics, ever!
You guessed it right, no Phil Mickelson or Tiger Woods have ever represented Team USA, not even in their peak career points.
There were times when golf was known alongside the names of Woods and Mickelson, but unfortunately, these golfers were not playing in the right era to appear in the Olympics.
Coincidentally, golf made its Olympic debut in the far-off French summer of 1900.
It continued for one more edition, in 1904 and was forgotten for over a century. After 112 years of a gap, golf was again taken up at the 2016 Rio Games.
However, by that time, both Mickelson’s and Woods’ reputations and rankings were declining.
From June 1997 until two years before the Rio Games, Woods retained the number one position for thirteen long years!
Mickelson, too had been number two for 270 weeks since 2001 and remained among the top rankings for a long time.
But these accomplishments were all useless in front of the Olympic qualifying requirements. Woods’ injuries, Mickelson’s age, and his connections with LIV Golf slowly reduced their chances of qualifying.
According to the Olympic Rules and International Golf Federation, “The top-15 world-ranked players will be eligible for the Olympics, with a limit of four players from a given country. Beyond the top 15, players will be eligible based on the world rankings, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top 15.”
By the time golf returned to the Olympics, both Woods and Mickelson were tainted by their age and swept aside by the new generations of golf stars. The Olympic requirements for qualification certainly did not help their case. In a similar way, DeChambeau fans were also enraged this time when the LIV golfer could not represent Team USA despite being at the top of his game this calendar year.
When golf was again introduced in 2016, there was some controversy about whether the sport should be an Olympic sport at all. And here’s what you need to know about it.
Should golf be an Olympic sport?
The senior writer of Sports Illustrated, Michael Rosenberg, famously listed down all the reasons why golf should not be an Olympic sport in 2016. Among other reasons, he pointed out how the Olympics require its sports to consider the Olympic platform to be of the highest honor. However, for any golfer, it has consistently been the major titles that held the most importance, as claimed by most critics and players themselves.
He also pointed out how the Olympic sport wants the best players on the field. However, as was seen in the case of Tiger Woods or Mickelson, the present generation too faces a similar verdict. Due to LIV Golf’s distinction from the united leagues of the PGA Tour and the European Tour, the OWGR has not been able to formulate specified score points to incorporate. Hence, many LIV golfers who have the capacity and skills to be at the top are missing out on their chances. Bryson DeChambeau is the prime example at the moment.
Rosenberg also observed how the other requirements about having a good field and the Olympics being essential to the sport’s growth also miss the mark. It is firmly because the game of golf has been growing even when it was not an Olympic game for over a century now. Moreover, with a field of only 60, the Olympics are not doing justice, as many fans and critics have pointed out before.
But is it really that bad? For the last three Olympics, golfers have been extremely overjoyed and excited to represent their countries. Needless to say, the thrill has surpassed all the records in golf history and has seen a 7-way playoff unfold. Patriotism is also high among both players and the fans!
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Source: USA Today
