Since the top four players in the world at the time—Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, and Rory McIlroy—were not present, there was some uncertainty about golf’s comeback among fans and the larger sports community.
Although the risk of catching the Zika virus was mentioned as a deterrent to visiting Brazil, there was also a perception that a few of the game’s biggest names had not fully embraced the idea that golf ought to be an Olympic sport.
In fact, a few weeks before to the competition, McIlroy made it very apparent that he was concerned about the Zika virus.
There is still a lot of discussion around the sport’s inclusion in the Games. Many sports fans can relate to the idea that if a gold medal is not the ultimate goal, then it shouldn’t be awarded at the Olympics.
The top golfers in the world, however, seem to have changed their minds as we approach the start of the men’s competition in Paris.
Shane Lowry is still in shock from carrying the Irish flag during the opening ceremony on Friday.
As he gets ready for Thursday’s opening tee shot at Le Golf National, the 2019 Open champion remarked, “It was an amazing experience and something that I’ll remember forever.”
