Team format
This
addition seems to be universally desired across the media and fan
landscape, and rightfully so. A major complaint heading into Rio was
that the Olympic format didn’t differ from the usual play see on the top
world tours. As team competitions are a rarity in golf, implementing
this facet adds a uniqueness to the event, fueling the desire to tune
in.
Conversely, the
Rose-Stenson showdown illustrated the benefits of stroke play. Bringing
in a team component doesn’t have to come to the detriment of the
individual competition. Similar to college golf, the Olympics can hold a
concurrent aggregate total to determine a team winner.
However,
this does warrant a caveat. Mentioned above, we want the top 30 or 40
players, no matter their country of origin. But it would be unfair if
the team event solely factors the top two scores from a country. The
United States and Great Britain, with dozens of representatives, would
be at a huge advantage.
In
order to make sure one or two nations don't dwarf the tournament, each
country can only select four individuals whose scores will account for
the team total, with the best two counted. Using our Koepka example from
above, that means he could play as an individual, but, theoretically,
his score would not go towards the United States' total, even if his
score was the best of the bunch. Some of the bigger nations would likely
protest, but some form of level playing field needs to be enacted, and
this achieves that ideal. And aside from South Africa and Australia,
very few countries would have four players in the field, so the US and
Great Britain would still be rewarded for their depth.
Step up the uniforms
The
garb from Great Britain received its share of snickers on social media,
yet give them credit: At least the clothes were original and
specifically designed for the Olympics. Some players – most notably
Jhonattan Vegas & Thornbjorn Olsen -- were wearing their usual
wardrobe, with their respective country’s flag haphazardly plastered on
the chest. The plain hats Stenson flaunted for Sweden weren’t much
better. Other Olympic sports don’t have such fashion hiccups.
Yes,
asking for better style seems like a ridiculous complaint. However, if
golf wants to be taken seriously in the Summer Games, it better dress
the part.
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