Golf Is In The Olympics; TPC Rio Next?

From Gene Yasuda's story about golf getting the official nod from the IOC:

Limited options explain why there’s already much discussion about building a new facility, and that could lead to PGA Tour Golf Course Properties unveiling a TPC-branded layout in Rio, Golfweek has learned.

“It’s a possibility,” confirmed David Pillsbury, president and chief operating officer of PGA Tour Golf Course Properties. “We will be evaluating all the courses in Rio de Janeiro and talking to prospective partners in Rio about building something similar to TPC San Antonio, with a resort, a couple golf courses and a location that would be ideal to the Olympic city.”

Update on 2009-10-09 17:16 by Geoff

From the wire story on the 2016 Olympic bid:

"There are millions of young golfers worldwide who would be proud to represent their country," Woods said from the Presidents Cup in San Francisco. "It would be an honor for anyone who plays this game to become an Olympian."

Golf was approved 63-27 with two abstentions. Rugby was voted in 81-8 with one abstention.

You can view the golf presentation to the IOC here.

The Ubiquitous Hank Haney?

For a man who doesn't think much of the media, it's just heartwarming to see Hank Haney making the rounds now to talk about Tiger. First there was the call in to Alan Shipnuck, then now he's on FanHouse, then yapping it up with Golf.com's Connell Barrett and finally, doing Ryan Ballengee's podcast.

But it wasn't until Monte Burke nabbed Haney for Forbes.com that the truth came out.

You recently became the spokesperson for Charles Schwab's ( SCHW - news - people ) retirement services. Are there parallels between golf instruction and retirement advice?

There are lots of parallels. The most important thing you can have is a plan, whether that's for your investments or your golf game. You have to be patient. Both require longterm approaches. There are ups and downs, and you can't get too high with the ups or too low with the down.

After that, don't ever tell me this blog fails to provide you with useful information. Ever!

Michael Jordan's Attempts To Contract An Oral Cancer Will Have To Wait

Reason No. 1 why I love California...

"Arguably what's at stake is the future of San Francisco public golf, and by extension, the value of public golf everywhere."

Miraculously no one has asked yet how the PGA Tour and City of San Francisco spent $23 million and got a functional but ultimately disappointing Harding Park redesign. Brad Klein noted quite accurately that "a round here produces the sense of waiting for something to happen that never quite materializes."

Which is why I suppose the Presidents Cup re-routing--a blatant move for the corporate tent folks as Ron Whitten documents in Golf World--doesn't really matter much. If you know the course and want to get a nice feel for the new sequencing, check out Brett Avery and Golf World's interactive map.

Meanwhile, SF native Jaime Diaz makes the case that no matter what you might feel about the course, this is a huge week for public golf with two courses fighting for their existence and beleaguered Harding looking to stay on the PGA Tour's radar.

Olympic Golf In Trouble?

A few stories are hinting at a possible protest vote and overall uncertainty about golf's "universality" by IOC members. Lawrence Donegan thinks some of the recent defenses from Jacques Rogge for golf's finalist slow may not bode well, whiel Owen Gibson believes the concerns may cost golf it's shot in the 2016 games.

Some IOC members retain concerns about whether the Olympics would be the pinnacle of achievement for golfers ahead of the four majors, while others argue that it does not score well on the criterion of "universality" given the expense and difficulty of developing golf courses in Africa and parts of Asia.

I don't know where they'd get any ideas like that before they've even gotten the estimate from Jack Nicklaus and Annika Sorenstam to build the official Olympic course, The Bear and The Swede. And with 60 player fields contesting glorified WGC events that has excited positively no one, how much less universal can you get than that?

And, let's hear from Peter Dawson, who heads up an all-male golf club that'll admit a woman by 2016. Maybe.

Dawson admitted some IOC members had raised concerns about whether the Olympics would represent the pinnacle of the sport but said they had not been widespread. "We have been able to allay that fear by emphasising the broad support among the world's top players. There is only one Olympic tournament for every 16 majors," he said.

And it's still just a boring old 72-hole stroke play event with a goofy world ranking-based format for entry. Zzzzzzzzz.

And then there's this protest vote bit, which is so IOC:

Some IOC members have privately voiced disgruntlement that they will not be offered a choice of sports from which to pick and have speculated that golf might suffer as a result of a protest vote.

But Craig Reedie, the British IOC member who was part of the programme commission that evaluated the seven sports, said: "The executive board clearly feels it is giving the members the guidance that was requested of them."