Adam Scott, one of the first big name golfers to bail on the Olympic Summer Games in Rio, said today that the whole idea of millionaire golfers competing in the Olympics was a recipe for failure.
Adam Scott said at @WGC_Bridgestone to grow golf via Olympics there should be amateurs playing. Can see how 16YO would make it goal to play
— Marla Ridenour (@MRidenourABJ) June 29, 2016
“If I think back to when I was 16 or 17 years old and a promising golfer, making the Olympics would be something that I’d want to do very much and also be a very big deal,” Scott said Wednesday at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. “I think having a young golfer aspire to be an Olympian is more realistic as an amateur than a professional. It’s just not going to happen for many as a professional, especially the way the qualification system works at the moment.”
Adam Scott, who WD'd from Rio, says Olympic golf would "grow the game" more if amateurs were playing instead of pros.
— Will Gray (@WillGrayGC) June 29, 2016
Scott also said the format is in need of some tweaking too.
The planned format for Olympic golf is 72-hole individual stroke play, which is what the PGA Tour plays each and every weekend
Scott suggested some kind of team type format, like the Ryder Cup or President’s Cup, to make it more interesting.
“I think they should change the format, for sure,” Scott said. “Just having another 72-hole golf tournament with a weaker-than-most field doesn’t really pique my interest.”
@Espngreeny @ryenarussillo Adam Scott pulled out of the Olympics because it wasn't as important on his schedule as Majors or other events.
— Michael Chapin (@Michael_Chapin) June 29, 2016
SOURCES: GOLF CHANNEL | GOLF DIGEST
