JDay, DJ, Others Pull out of Olympics, Rickie, Others Still Going

[Valleygolfer]

1 hour ago, skydog said:

To me the 'growing the game' comments from Rory aren't the most problematic here...it was his 'stuff that matters' comment saying that he will only be watching things like track and field in the Olympics and implying that golf in the games doesn't matter.

 

I thought this was a comical response and probably came out wrong. I have said some things in the past about how I felt about something that no one else would say because they didn't have the balls to say it so I like that he has the cajones to lay it out there. Yeah some people will be sour but half the guys are feeling the same way. They just don't want it on their shoulders. He should feel the way he wants to feel, kudos to Rory for being true to himself. Screw Brandel and his curling iron...

[krupa]

Good article defending Rory: http://www.golfdigest.com/story/rory-is-right-its-not-his-job-to-grow-the-game

 

[newtogolf]

7 hours ago, saevel25 said:

I am sure Rory isn't thrilled when Nike drags him across the world to do events not associated with him directly winning majors. I get it, the money from Nike frees up the worry about having to use golf as a job. Still, I am sure he feels like he's doing what Nike asks him to do as described in his contract. For me, as long as it's not violating a contractual obligation with Nike then Nike doesn't have a say in it. . 

 

I don't have a copy of Rory's contract but my guess is his contract includes some clause about being an ambassador of the game and for Nike.  Lawyers will argue on what the fine points of that actually means but overall it was a brutally honest but stupid thing for Rory to say.  

Growing the game benefits the pro's (higher ratings + higher attendance = larger prize funds), the USGA, R&A, PGA and PGA Tour, it also benefit the charities and the sponsors.  The question is how much will golf in the Olympics help grow the game?  

For the record I'm on the fence with Rory, I respect what he said, agree with it mostly but as a business owner I'd be unhappy if my star player just announced in a press conference he didn't get into golf to help grow the game and doesn't intend to watch Olympic golf 

[natureboy]

2 hours ago, krupa said:

Good article defending Rory: http://www.golfdigest.com/story/rory-is-right-its-not-his-job-to-grow-the-game

The opening of that paragraph is good writing.

[newtogolf]

7 minutes ago, natureboy said:

The opening of that paragraph is good writing.

Great article, I agree Rory doesn't have an obligation to grow the game for the PGA, USGA or R&A but he might for Nike.  Kudos to him for being bluntly honest but again, if I'm Nike, I'm not sure I'd be thrilled with the answer.  

I'm curious how others that are playing in the Olympics and do believe they have an obligation to grow the game feel about Rory's answer.  

[No Mulligans]

Rory's bluntness and honesty makes him very likable. And, maybe that's good for the game and his sponsors too.

[natureboy]

28 minutes ago, newtogolf said:

Great article, I agree Rory doesn't have an obligation to grow the game for the PGA, USGA or R&A but he might for Nike.  Kudos to him for being bluntly honest but again, if I'm Nike, I'm not sure I'd be thrilled with the answer.  

I'm curious how others that are playing in the Olympics and do believe they have an obligation to grow the game feel about Rory's answer.  

The guy (is he 'Shane Bacon'?) was pretty prescient about issues related to the format too: http://www.golfdigest.com/story/olympic-golf-shane-ryan

Rory both acknowledged a grow the game obligation, and made his comment.

Basically my read of his comment was that he said that he does consider the responsibility as a prominent representative of the sport, but it's not his mission in life. I think that's fair. His wording was a bit blunt and that made him a target. I bet his perspective represents a lot of other male pros.

The women are in a different situation, because the international interest from Korea and Southeast Asia has increased their audience and more importantly the number of good paying tournaments world-wide. The men's schedule is already essentially 'booked up'.

How far does that 'responsibility' go? Should he be a Johnny Appleseed touring the world showing kids how to play golf through the fields of the countryside with stones and sticks? If so, why doesn't Brandel take a sabbatical from his well-paid desk job and do that, and try to convince his new fiance to ride along with him. How much time do the critics attacking Rory give of their off-hours time to causes like 'The First Tee'? How much do they personally donate in cash dollars?

Edited July 13, 2016 by natureboy

[nevets88]

 

[Chris223]

It may be true, it may not be.  It may be the way all pros feel (doubt it), it may not be, but it is definitely not something you say in the press.  Bad move Rory, and I just lost a lot of respect for you.  Growing the game IMO IS a responsibility of the biggest names of a particular sport, whether or not you do that physically (through clinics or crap like that) I couldn't care any less.  Golf is having a hard enough time growing its fanbase ever since Tigers body fell apart along with his game... anyone who's "on the fence" about whether or not they really wanna give a crap about golf comments like that don't help to draw them in.  Golf has given him a very nice way to be SUPER rich... he just essentially gave the game a middle finger and said he owes it nothing.  Ask a guy like Zach Johnson what he thinks about those comments, guarantee you he doesn't think highly of him.  Many PGA Pro's speak all the time about giving back to a game that has given them so much...  Rory, keep opinions like that to yourself. 

[Gunther]

1 minute ago, Chris223 said:

It may be true, it may not be.  It may be the way all pros feel (doubt it), it may not be, but it is definitely not something you say in the press.  Bad move Rory, and I just lost a lot of respect for you.  Growing the game IMO IS a responsibility of the biggest names of a particular sport, whether or not you do that physically (through clinics or crap like that) I couldn't care any less.  Golf is having a hard enough time growing its fanbase ever since Tigers body fell apart along with his game... anyone who's "on the fence" about whether or not they really wanna give a crap about golf comments like that don't help to draw them in.  Golf has given him a very nice way to be SUPER rich... he just essentially gave the game a middle finger and said he owes it nothing.  Ask a guy like Zach Johnson what he thinks about those comments, guarantee you he doesn't think highly of him.  Many PGA Pro's speak all the time about giving back to a game that has given them so much...  Rory, keep opinions like that to yourself. 

A little harsh.  I didn't love Rory's comments but I think they were said in a more cavalier fashion than he intended.  He gives plenty back to the game.  He spent lots of time in the Fanzone after that presser signing autographs for kids.  And I'm sure he does that often.  

He may not be as polished as Jordan but that's nothing to ding the guy for.  He's a great golfer and by that fact alone has grown the game a ton, his millions of fans, many are kids, attest to it.

Give the guy a break and let him be him.

[boogielicious]

20 hours ago, Gunther said:

I agree with your premise but I learned today that Ghana has funded golf programs in their country because it became an Olympic event.  I'm sure quite a number of other countries did the same.  So, Olympic golf is already making golf more accessible to many, and would be enhanced by the top 4 players in the world participating.

Having said that, Rio is a dangerous place and I blame no one for opting out.  I don't think it has anything to do with not being paid, at this level these guys just don't need it.  

I've been to Brazil four times. The areas that I have been have been OK, but I agree Rio is a completely different scenario. The political unrest, crime, favelas and Zika only compound the issue. I hope their is a lot of security and athletes don't stray from the village.

Golf did a poor job with the format in the Olympics. A team event would have changed a few of the minds on going.

FWIW, Zika has been around for a while and I could have already had it without knowing it. Although I don't recall feeling ill after any trip.

[cutchemist42]

I kinda agree with the above point, theres a lot more ways to grow a sport than the Olympics. I mean, why lend your time to an organization as bad as the Olympics anyway?

[Missouri Swede]

By the way, how much broadcast (or streaming) coverage is golf going to get, anyway?

It may not be that big of a draw for me to watch if it's going to be just a few shots here and there, and then the broadcast goes back to all of the other events going on at the same time.

We get used to seeing a lot of coverage in golf (especially like the Open this week! ).  I'm wondering how they'll be able to match that expectation.

[UNIDuffman]

3 hours ago, Missouri Swede said:

By the way, how much broadcast (or streaming) coverage is golf going to get, anyway?

It may not be that big of a draw for me to watch if it's going to be just a few shots here and there, and then the broadcast goes back to all of the other events going on at the same time.

We get used to seeing a lot of coverage in golf (especially like the Open this week! ).  I'm wondering how they'll be able to match that expectation.

The Golf Channel will have all of it. NBC will probably have highlights at most.

http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/nbc-and-golf-channel-announce-olympics-tv-coverage-schedule

[natureboy]

3 hours ago, Missouri Swede said:

By the way, how much broadcast (or streaming) coverage is golf going to get, anyway?

It may not be that big of a draw for me to watch if it's going to be just a few shots here and there, and then the broadcast goes back to all of the other events going on at the same time.

Don't know. I expect it would be a time-condensed narrated type affair (except maybe final round) with full-time coverage on the web.

33 minutes ago, UNIDuffman said:

The Golf Channel will have all of it. NBC will probably have highlights at most.

http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/nbc-and-golf-channel-announce-olympics-tv-coverage-schedule

Ah, that's why Brandel bashed Rory. He was carrying water for his employer / future contract negotiations. Come on Rory, pad my bank account!

If they were such a vested partner in this 'grow the game' effort (which is their responsibility since it ties into their bottom line), why didn't Golf Channel push for a more innovative format?

Edited July 14, 2016 by natureboy

[Valleygolfer]

19 hours ago, Chris223 said:

It may be true, it may not be.  It may be the way all pros feel (doubt it), it may not be, but it is definitely not something you say in the press.  Bad move Rory, and I just lost a lot of respect for you.  Growing the game IMO IS a responsibility of the biggest names of a particular sport, whether or not you do that physically (through clinics or crap like that) I couldn't care any less.  Golf is having a hard enough time growing its fanbase ever since Tigers body fell apart along with his game... anyone who's "on the fence" about whether or not they really wanna give a crap about golf comments like that don't help to draw them in.  Golf has given him a very nice way to be SUPER rich... he just essentially gave the game a middle finger and said he owes it nothing.  Ask a guy like Zach Johnson what he thinks about those comments, guarantee you he doesn't think highly of him.  Many PGA Pro's speak all the time about giving back to a game that has given them so much...  Rory, keep opinions like that to yourself. 

What are we growing the game for Chris? So the PGA can make revenue from sponsors, so sponsors have more fans to pay them or for the every day joe that has to buy all these things and pay for golf. Rory has done his part for "growing the game." He is/was exciting to watch, gives back to charity and gives excellent interviews. His presence draws millions of viewers from Europe to watch American events besides drawing American viewers. He has never been a corporate sell out. He is there doing his job, selling his sponsor's wares, drawing viewers and trying to win majors. He has every right to not like golf in the Olympics and state his own personal feelings of lack of interest. Most people hide behind the internet, twitter or facebook to be able to say the truth. Kudos to Rors for laying out there in person in a obviously unscripted response to reporter questioning.

I am tired of the "lets all sit back and put up with something I don't like rather than rock the boat" people.

[KarenS]

I just read that Byeong Hun An is set to be part of Rio's summer games representing South Korea. The crazy thing is that both his parents were Olympic athletes too, however they played table tennis. Are there any other golfers carrying on this same family heritage? 

[natureboy]

Rory 'elaborates':

http://www.golfchannel.com/media/rory-i-dont-want-force-golf-anyone