They already play for the green jacket, the claret jug and the Wanamaker Trophy. Now they want to play for the gold.
Tiger Woods has spoken out in favor of golf in the Olympics. Colin Montgomerie has spoken to International Olympic Committee members to push for the sport’s inclusion.
Spain’s Sergio Garcia seemed to speak for a majority Wednesday when he said: “I’ve always loved watching the Olympics. So to be a part of it would be something unbelievable.”
The golf community will learn Thursday morning whether it has made this cut. The IOC executive board, meeting in Berlin, will recommend two sports out of seven proposed for inclusion in the 2016 Games. The full IOC will vote on the sports Oct. 9.
Golf and rugby are reportedly the favorites. Baseball, softball, karate, roller sports and squash are also in play.
Those pushing golf for the Olympics face no apparent resistance. Even PGA of America officials endorse it, though they would have to alter the mid-August date of their annual championship to accommodate the two-week Olympic competition.
England’s Lee Westwood acknowledged his initial reluctance “because I was of the view that an Olympic gold medal should be the pinnacle of your sport. Whereas in golf, I don’t think it’s ever going to be like that with the four major championships.”
But Westwood came around. Now he speaks of the “fun” involved and the “broadness of people” who would watch golf for the first time.
“It’s probably a good thing,” he said.
Padraig Harrington of Ireland was more emphatic: “I’d love to be an Olympian.”
So would Woods, who said he would play for the U.S. if he has “not retired by then.”
Woods, who will be 40 during the 2016 Games, said that with a smile.
“Golf is a truly global sport,” he added, “and it should have been in the Olympics a while ago. If it does get in, it would be great for golf and especially some of the smaller countries that are now emerging in golf.”
It also would be a boost for the host club, and several contenders have emerged in Chicago: Olympia Fields, Medinah, Cog Hill, Harborside International and Conway Farms, which hosted last week’s Western Amateur.
Olympia Fields and Medinah have hosted majors. Cog Hill, the site of next month’s BMW Championship, and Harborside, which hosted a Champions Tour event in 2002, might have an edge as public facilities.
Olympia Fields, though, has made the strongest push. The club will host its third Olympia Fields Challenge on Aug. 31 to raise financial support for Chicago’s 2016 bid.
For $5,000, a foursome gets 18 holes of golf with an Olympian or Paralympian, plus dinner and a silent/live auction. Among the Olympic champions expected to attend are Bart Conner, Nadia Comaneci, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Michael Conley.
“If Chicago is selected,” Olympia Fields President Mike Mazurczak said, “hopefully we’ve positioned ourselves to be the club that will be selected.”
Medinah will go international when it hosts the Ryder Cup in 2012. Club officials said Wednesday they would love to host the Olympics on Medinah’s three courses. That said …
“We’re not the hard-sell guys,” said Don Larson, a member of the club’s executive committee. “Medinah sells itself.”
