Did you stay up until 3 AM on Sunday morning to watch a golf tournament with more plot twists than a Christopher Nolan movie? Did you see the current Masters champion, Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama provide a double espresso shot of optimism for a country and Olympic Games that desperately need it? Did you see a course record (by two shots) from a guy almost ready for the Champions Tour who represented his wife’s country (on his bag as his caddie) – but not his? How about one of the faces of the game- who wasn’t sold on the Olympic Games – playing his way into medal contention, all without a trademark hat?
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And I didn’t even mention the man who won gold from the United States.
This is a safe space. I know you didn’t stay up overnight to watch one hell of a final round of the Olympic Golf Tournament. I know because for four hours of jaw-dropping, eye emoji moments, the only person tweeting about the tournament was myself. Quite frankly, that sucks. Read me tweets. You’ll agree.
We had the stars. We had full coverage (nearly 12 hours of the final round). Xander Schauffele, who ended up winning the golf tournament, lurks on the brink of a marquee name in the sport. He’s never won a major, but he’s always on the leaderboard. The biggest knock on him came true in the biggest win of his career – he can’t close. Remember when he rinsed one on 16 at The Masters this year and then Matsuyama went on to win the event? Xander wanted to add an extra layer of suspense by frittering away a four-shot lead around the turn. Matsuyama got super hot, as did Rory Sabbatini, and turned the leaderboard into a pylon scoreboard at Daytona.
They didn’t have a cut in the event. This sent golfers off in groups of three every day. Usually, this becomes a drawn out affair with no one batting an eyelash if 18 holes clock in over five hours. This didn’t happen at the Olympics. When the groups hit the course in full flush, it was golf shot after golf shot. And they were mostly great.
A number of reachable par fours gave the best in the world the opportunity to unleash it on the Olympic stage. Mix that with soft greens and you’ll get a number of bombs made by the pros. It’s still fun to watch a 40-footer drop.
Schauffele’s father, who tried to make an Olympic team in his prime, got to hang with the volunteers on the 18th green as his son won the biggest tournament of his career. Schauffele’s grandparents live in Tokyo. You can’t write a script like this. In his biggest win of his career, Schauffele’s paycheck came in gold.
So, why did interest wane? Is golf too new for the Olympics? This is only the second time after a near century respite. There’s no Tiger or Phil. Golf will get the guys like me, who could wake up at 4 AM and stay on the couch all day and enjoy it. The end of the round came around 3 AM on Sunday, not exactly an ideal time for a television audience when it’s going against a farm report and re-air of local news. The PGA Tour needs to make these Olympic Games – with the biggest stars – a priority. In a backlogged year due to a pandemic, a number of players opted for the WGC event this upcoming week which pays serious bank. We also need to change the way the Olympic team comes together. There should be a points race – not a limit from the top countries. You should want to go to the Olympics. It’s neat to have people from countries I can’t identify on a map, but they can’t hold a candle to the best players. Also, and this a must, develop a cut. The best players go out last (usually) on the weekend. Only half the field finished in prime time. That needs to be addressed.
The 2016 gold medalist Justin Rose was thought to instantly catapult his career to major championships. It hasn’t. Here’s hoping Schauffele’s just starting his magical ride in golf.
A veteran in television production here in Baltimore, Chris Dachille brings his 15 year experience of watching sports for a living to BSL. Dachille voted in the Associated Press Top 25 for six seasons. He enjoys all sports and hopes that pitchers continue to hit in the National League.