Unlike golf’s return to the Olympics in 2016 after a century-long absence, the sport won’t be a mystery to the host nation this time around. No one had to build a new golf course in Japan that was suitable for the elite players. Heroes won’t be hard to identify.
All the stars — most of them, anyway — will be at Kasumigaseki Country Club for the Tokyo Olympics, and one in particular stands out.
Hideki Matsuyama is among the favourites to win a gold medal, all because of his green jacket.
Matsuyama became the first Japanese player to win the Masters, a source of pride for a country with the greatest golf heritage of all Asian nations. The timing could not have been better considering the COVID-19 pandemic that threatened to cancel the Olympics and now has led to severe restrictions and minimal local spectators a year later.
He already has deflected some of the pressure as Masters champion, saying the four major champions remain the biggest prize in golf.
“Not that we don’t try to win the Olympics, but those are the events that are very important,” Matsuyama said. “However, with that said, there are other sports that the Olympics are the ultimate, the pinnacle of their sports. And so I hope that the Olympics will be able to be held in a great fashion that will make my fellow Japanese citizens proud.”
Matsuyama was among 22 men who skipped out of the last Olympics in Rio de Janeiro when golf returned to the programme for the first time since 1904. Most of them cited fears over the Zika virus, along with security concerns.
Rio was an audition for golf to stay in the Olympics, and even with the top four men in the world staying away, the sport exceeded expectations with the final round sold out.
Now, perhaps more players are catching that Olympic spirit. Dustin Johnson at No. 2 in the world was the only player from the top 10 who chose not to go to Japan. Fourteen other qualifiers decided to pass, though Tokyo has all the big names.
“It’s the only tournament I’m able to brag about being able to play,” Justin Thomas said. “I never got so many congratulations about being an Olympian. The first time you get in the PGA Championship, the British Open, you don’t get people congratulating you. You get that when you’re an Olympian.”
It was never an issue for the women, who rarely get a stage this visible.
All three medallists from Rio, starting with seven-time major champion and gold medallist Inbee Park, are back. The US team features 22-year-old Nelly Korda, the No. 1 player in women’s golf, and older sister Jessica.
Matsuyama will feel the attention as a Masters champion playing at home in the Olympics. The real pressure belongs to Sungjae Im and Siwoo Kim of South Korea. The only way for them to avoid mandatory military service is to win an Olympic medal. Im, who starred for the International team in the last Presidents Cup, is 23 and likely will get another shot at the Olympics in 2024 in Paris.
