"If the tournament stinks, they may not get a chance to fix it."

Interesting debate between the SI guys on the Olympic format. For those of us who want to see golf in the Olympics succeed, it's Jim Gorant's point that really hits home about the importance of rethinking the current format.

Herre: I think all the criticism about the format is silly, can't-see-the-forest-for-the-trees kind of stuff. It will be fun for us to watch the development of Olympic golf.

Van Sickle: I don't think the criticism is silly at all. It's totally valid. Might as well just cut the field to 25, since that's already effectively done by bringing in players ranked outside the top 300 in the world. If this is supposed to be a world-class event, it should have a world-class field. But it won't, and it won't even come close. There's still plenty of time to address this and correct it.

Herre: If the format doesn't work, it will be changed. The bottom line is that there would be no Olympic golf without the blessing of Tiger Woods and possibly Phil Mickelson, and this is the format they want to play. We go forward from there.

Gorant: Agree with the realpolitik involved, but they do have to guard against a clunker of a competition, either because it's boring or a farce. Golf was only approved for 2016 and 2020, and even 2020 is subject to review in 2017. If the tournament stinks, they may not get a chance to fix it.