Jack Nicklaus backs off criticism of Rory McIlroy, other top Olympic golf no-shows

Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler Talk Olympic Golf

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Jack Nicklaus was once critical of the top four male golfers skipping the Olympics but he has since had a change of heart, admitting that as a player, he "wasnt into growing [the game of golf] either."

When Jack Nicklaus was rolling to 18 major championships during his PGA Tour career, any notion that he was playing to coax non-golfers to pick up the game would have been preposterous.

Thats what one of todays most vocal "grow the game" proponents acknowledged on Wednesday when he defended Rory McIlroy against critics who bash him and other top male players for skipping the Olympics.

"I didnt get into golf to try and grow the game,"McIlroy said before last months Open Championship. "I got into golf to win ... major championships, and all of a sudden you get to this point and there is a responsibility on you to grow the game. I get that but at the same time, thats not the reason that I got into golf. I got into golf to win. I didn"t get into golf to get other people into the game."

Sentiments to which Nicklaus now wholeheartedly subscribes.

"When I was playing the game, I wasnt into growing it either," Nicklaus told reporters ahead of this weeks U.S. Senior Open. "Did I play a lot of places? Sure. And by playing a lot of places that helped to grow the game.

"But I was there to win, not grow," Nicklaus added. "I think when Rory said he was not into growing the game, he was into playing the game."

The sport that had been absent from the summer games since 1904 got off to a rather slow start Thursday, with a smattering of spectators applauding Brazils Adilson da Silva after the first Olympic tee shot in 112 years.

A few hours later, the event was well underway, but with little of the pizzazz golf fans have come to expect of majors or even regular tour events involving the worlds best.

Sure, Bubba Watson, Henrik Stenson and Sergio Garcia are in the field, but it has been difficult not to notice whos not among the 60 golfers playing for individual glory within a semi-team environment.

Nicklaus initially wondered about the reasons the Big Four (Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and McIlroy) opted out of Rio, but has had a definite change of heart.

"I was a little critical of the guys to start with. I thought it might have been selfish of them not to go. Then I started looking at that, and it is not the pinnacle of their sport," Nicklaus said. "I think when Rory said he was not into growing the game, he was into playing the game.

"Well, I look back at it. I mean, I"m past playing the game. My game is gone," he added. "My focus on the game of golf now is to grow the game. So, yeah, they are into playing."

Just not in the Olympics, which is a shame for those hoping golf remains in the games beyond 2020, but Jack Nicklaus gets it.

Source: http://www.sbnation.com/golf/2016/8/11/12438780/rio-olympics-2016-golf-field-rory-mcilroy-jack-nicklaus-comments

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After years of controversy, Olympic golf is on the tee

Olympic Golf Sleeper Picks

Peter Dawson and companybuilt a golf course.Now its time to see if theyve built a legacy.

RIO DE JANEIRO They built it and some have come. Whether Gil Hanses handiwork becomes a field of dreams is now up to the clarity of competition.

After seven long years of hype and handwringing, controversy and curiosity, the time for speculation ends early Thursday morning when Brazils Adilson da Silva returns golf to the Olympics after more than a century hiatus with a single tee shot.

On the eve of the mens competition in Rio all those concerns from the Zika virus to construction delays have largely slipped away under the glow of the Olympic flame.

On Tuesday, the team from the United States fielded what will likely be the last of the questions about the players who arent at the Games. From here, the narrative shifts to those who did make the trip.

Ten years down the line youre going to look at who won the gold medal, not who wasnt here, said Henrik Stenson, the highest-ranked player in this weeks field.

Although the relative success or failure of this years Games will always be tied to those who decided to pass on the Olympic opportunity a list that includes four out of the top fivein the world ranking the real litmus test depends on the next 72 holes.

Asked what elements needed to fall into place this week to make golfs return to the Games a success, Sergio Garcia waded through all of the distractions that have become the calling card for this competition.

If its a great show, playing good golf, and hopefully it comes down to the last few holes where things are tight where someone has a nice finish to win it, Garcia said.

The essence of genuine Olympic spectacle rides the line between dominance and unparalleled drama.Michael Phelps winning his 20th gold medal in the 200-meter butterfly is the pinnacle of the former, whileBrazilian Rafaela Silvas gold medal performance in judo is a testament to the latter.

The relevant comparisons, in golf terms, would be a Stenson victory, with the Swede pegged as this weeks favorite following his victory at last months Open,and a medal performance by the likes of da Silva, the 288th ranked player in the world who left Brazil when he was 16 years old to pressure his dream of being a professional golfer.

A victory by Stenson or the likes of Bubba Watson or Rickie Fowler would satisfy the need for competitive continuity and the perceived notion that the games best need to deliver on the biggest stage.Likewise, asilver or bronze for someone like da Silva, a playerfrom a nation where the game is struggling to establish a foothold, would add substance to the belief that golf in the Olympics is the most promising grow the game initiative since metal replaced wood as the desired material for golf clubs.

From the outset, when golf made its pitch to the International Olympic Committee, the goalwas to use the Games as a way to extend golfs reach into non-traditional areas, like Brazil, a country of over 200 million that counts just 10,000 golfers with registered handicaps.

Da Silva, who now lives in South Africa, is a familiar tale of perseverance, having grown up in a small town south of Rio andbeginning his career as a caddie at a nine-hole course because he needed a job, not a hobby.

The 44-year-old journeyman sees the Games as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to introduce golf to thousands of potential players.

This is exactly what we need, things like this. Bring awareness to people and create a bit more interest, da Silva said. They will see the game and I think it will create so much curiosity. Especially for the kids.

The competitive success of the event, however its defined, will be married directly to the long-term ability of the Games as a catalyst for growth. In many ways, a compelling finish to this weeks competition will be the conversation starter, not the conclusion, to a seven-year debate.

The Olympic golf effort will leave behind a golf course that is, by most accounts, a testament to Hanses design brilliance, if not the dogged efforts of those who carved a layout out of a caiman-infested swamp. But the real test will be in the coming years.

Success will be measured on a number of levels, said Peter Dawson, the president of the International Golf Federation. First that we have a compelling and exciting event, that the spectators, many of whom have never been exposed to golf, learn a little about golf, and well never know if someone who watches will be inspired to play golf, but statistically some of that must happen.

Dawson & Co. built a golf course.Now its time to see if theyve built a legacy.

Source: http://www.nbcolympics.com/news/after-years-controversy-olympic-golf-tee

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