Golf returns to Games after 112 years

The pride of Holland and four times winner on the European Tour, Joost Luiten, makes his debut in the Olympic Games today (Thursday, 11 August).  At 09.14 hours local time, he will tee-off on the Olympic Golf Course in Rio as the only Dutch competitor.  The honour of striking the first golf ball in the 2016 Games, goes to Brazilian golfer, Adilson da Silva who starts nearly three hours earlier.

 

The 30-year old from Rotterdam is in search of an Olympic title which was last played for more than a hundred years ago.  It was in 1904 that golf previously featured in the Games.  America was the host nation.  St Louis was the venue.  And the gold medal winner was a Canadian by the name of George Lyon.  The Americans appear to have won the rest of the medals that year:  gold, silver and bronze in the team competition plus individual silver and bronze.  Although he died back in 1938, George Lyon is, oddly enough, the reigning Olympic golf champion.

 

Back to the 2016 Olympic Games, where there is only an individual event this year, by the way.  Last Friday, ‘Our Joost’ arrived in Rio to take part in the Official Opening Ceremony with TeamNL.  The next day he appeared on Dutch television, happy and relaxed on the couch with NOS Sport presenter Henry Schut and a few other fresh-faced Dutch Olympians.   He told of his meeting with the Dutch King Willem-Alexander and their discussion over golf during the ceremony. (Evidently he diplomatically didn’t ask HRH’s handicap!)  When asked by the NOS how he compares the Olympics with the Majors in golf and the Ryder Cup, Joost said:  “My biggest goals this year are the Olympic Games and the Ryder Cup.”   When pressed to choose the most important, he answered: “Olympic Gold is bigger than a Major!”

 

 

The par 71, 6522 meter Gil Hanse designed course which was specially built for this year’s Summer Olympics lies on the coast in the Barra da Tijuca, in the south west of Rio, just 9 kilometres from the Olympic Village.  It was created by the American golf course architect in the beautiful Marapendi Natural Reserve.  The fairways are set to test the nerve and skills of the best golfers on earth. Indeed, perhaps more nerve than normally needed in a Major.

 

Brazil’s unusual wildlife may cause some extra hazards

 

Little did the rest of the world know until fairly recently that the Olympic beauty would be a showcase for more than just birdies and eagles during the Games.  It’s a natural habitat for some surprising creatures such as the ‘Capybara’, an enormous rodent which, according to Australian golf professional and tv commentator, Ian Baker-Finch, “looks like a cross between a wombat and a large dog” and weighs in at a whopping 35-60 kilos!  Golfers may also come across a few ‘Caimans’ – a small type of alligator!  It sounds as if the Olympic dream could well turn into an Olympic nightmare for some.

 

2016 has been an especially busy season for the Tour players.  The return of golf in the Olympic Games during a Ryder Cup year has no doubt put pressure on a few schedules in August.  The Zika virus appears to have put off the top four players in the world from participating in Rio.  Yes, alas, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy are not in Brazil this week.  But there are enough other big names to thrill us like Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson, to name but a few.

 

65 in America gives Joost’s Olympic dream a boost

 

Whilst Joost’s form has somewhat cooled off this summer, it must be said that there are moments of sheer brilliance in between.  Take his closing round in the US PGA at the end of July.  He opened with a birdie in the final Major of the season at Baltusrol GC to go out in 31 and then finished with a birdie at the 18th, his seventh birdie on Sunday afternoon, to shoot 65 – the lowest round of the day together with Soren Kjeldsen.   Perhaps the whole Olympic atmosphere and the performances of his fellow sportsmen and women in some of the other 305 events will inspire him further in Rio de Janeiro.

 

Whatever happens, we’re in for an almighty treat this week right through to Sunday as there’s not a 36-hole cut in the Games.  Let the golf in the 2016 Olympics commence!

 

Proost Joost!

 

Wendy Hoad

 

 

PICTURED:  Joost Luiten chilling out last weekend in Rio as one of the studio guests with NOS Sport television. (NOS)