"One belated Olympics later, [golf] still feels like a strange fit."

Esteemed New York Times writer John Branch is underwhelmed by Olympic golf, and even more so after visiting Kasumigaseki for the final round.

The Olympics in Tokyo already feel as if they are taking place on a series of television sound stages, devoid of fans and atmosphere, inside and out. But no place has felt as disconnected, physically and spiritually, as the men’s golf event, held at an exclusive private club more than an hour’s drive from the city center and contested mostly by spectacularly rich and famous touring pros.

Back in Tokyo on Sunday, near the heart of the pandemic-muted Olympics, medals were awarded to mostly unsung athletes in sports like fencing, swimming, weight lifting, gymnastics and BMX. In one BMX discipline on Friday, a gold medalist from Britain was competing only because she had crowdfunded her training.

Well when you put it like that…

The tournament took a zany turn at the end, with a seven-man playoff necessary to determine the sole recipient of the bronze medal. Eventually, C.T. Pan of Taiwan claimed it in a head-to-head battle with Collin Morikawa of the United States.

Golf was reintroduced for the 2016 Rio Games after a 112-year absence. Justin Rose won for the men, Inbee Park for the women, but it was hardly popular and not particularly memorable.

One belated Olympics later, it still feels like a strange fit.

The 2024 venue is Le Golf National outside Paris and Riviera in Los Angeles. Both are better situated in terms of geography. But as for rich pros playing a stale individual stroke play event? That hasn’t changed.