Posted in Bubba Watson, Golf in Rio, Golf in the 2016 Olympics, Olympic Course, Olympic Games, Olympic Golf, Rickie Fowler, Rio, Rio2016
After more than a century the highly anticipated, long overdue return of golf in the 2016 summer Olympics is finally here. 112 long years later, it is officially an Olympic sport again. Before today golf was last played in the Olympics in St. Louis in the year 1904.
The games will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, over the course of the next couple of weeks at the newly built, 7,132 yard Olympic Golf Course (Portuguese: Campo Olimpico de Golfe). This entirely new links style venue was constructed solely to host the 2016 golf games and was built within the Marapendi Natural Reserve in the Barra da Tijuca zone of Rio.
The format for the event will be 120 competitors (60 men and women from 41 nations) that play two separate 72-hole individual stroke play events under the official rules of golf. In the event of a tie for any of the first three positions, a three-hole playoff will determine the medal winners.
The men’s competition will be played August 11-14 and the women’s event will follow on August 17-20. All of the coverage will be live on the Golf Channel beginning at 6:00 a.m. each day.
According to Teddy Greenstein, author of a Los Angeles Times featured article on the 2016 Summer Olympics, the top U.S. prospects could be any of the four Americans – Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed or Matt Kuchar. However, that the absence of top players such as Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy may make people question golf’s Olympic return and could possibly hurt ratings.
Regardless of the player field it will surely be a fascinating and historic event to witness. If watching Olympic Golf this week inspires you at all to get out there and play check out some of the deals and discounts on our site! Go Team USA!
