Two representatives from the International Golf Federation went to Switzerland in November 2008 to lobby for the inclusion of golfers in the Olympic Games after the sport had been excluded for a century.
However, as the guys presented their plea to the International Olympic Committee, they recognised that their audience was preoccupied on a single athlete.
Does Tiger Woods Have A Gold Medal
Don’t even get me started on the positive social impact and core values of honesty and fair play that sport promotes on a worldwide scale. As someone who helped make the argument for golf’s inclusion, Ty Votaw knew right away what the International Olympic Committee valued most about the sport.
Will Tiger Woods Be Participating?
was the first inquiry. I quote Votaw:
Even after 12 years, Woods is still highly sought after by the Olympics, if not more so now. However, there is the possibility that there won’t be room for him.
Back in 2008, it seemed inevitable that Woods would show up. A world-class athlete in his own right, he had just finished a season in which he won 14 major titles, putting him in elite company with Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps. He finished the year as the best in his field for the tenth time in eleven years. Woods’s presence at the Olympics gave the impression of a business deal.
While Woods’s heart was in the right place, a back issue kept him out of action for much of 2016, thereby ending his chances of making the cut for the Rio Olympics. After he was absent from the Games, golf returned, and British golfer Justin Rose ultimately took home the gold.
Woods hasn’t been this close to the Olympics since he and his dad saw an archery competition at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. As of the 22nd of June, he must be ranked as one of the top four American players inside the world’s top 15 to be eligible. Although Woods enters this week’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego as the world’s seventh-best golfer, he is only the fifth-best American.
At this time, the four American spots at the Olympic competition are held by Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, and Patrick Cantlay. The 44-year-old Woods has been vocal about his desire to compete in the Tokyo Olympics since last fall.
Because of his advanced age, he was pessimistic about his future opportunities.
The fact that two American Olympians in the post-World War II era, sailors Paul Smart in 1948 and Everard Endt in 1952, won gold medals at the age of 50 may provide some solace to Woods. Consequently, he does not face an absolute deadline. There is no better time than now for the Olympic movement, which has been hit hard by the diseases of corruption and cheating and is still hurting from the departures of Bolt and Phelps, to tap into Woods’ transcendence.
Peter Dawson, president of the International Golf Federation, remarked, “I know TV companies are enthusiastic about it for obvious reasons.”
Conclusion
It seems that the host nation feels the same way. During the inaugural Zozo Championship in October, which Woods won by a wide margin, Japanese fans cheered for Woods more than they did their homegrown son, Hideki Matsuyama, who would go on to win gold at the Olympics.
