A long-drive competition in the Olympics?

If golf was in the 2012 Summer Olympics, the gold medal would be decided by a 72-hole, stroke-play tournament.

Many individuals in the golf community, including 2009 Open Champion Stewart Cink, would like to see the IOC add additional events to make golf's return more exciting - like a long-drive competition.

"A 72-hole, stroke-play tournament doesn't lend itself that well to the medal race," Cink said, according to the Akron Beacon-Journal. "As we all know who are involved with golf, fourth place, sixth place, eighth place are really good showings."

Cink suggested a skills competition of sorts might make for a better Olympic contest.

"I almost think a long-drive contest lends itself better to a medal, where you can have preliminaries and heats and guys are going for the gold like a sprint," he said. "In golf when you have 72 holes, it's hard to be excited about it."

I like the idea of watching Dustin Johnson battle Bubba Watson to see who has the biggest...driver. Plus, I bet the players would have fun trying to out drive each other. Unfortunately, I don't think the IOC would allow such an event in the Olympics.

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[ comments ]

Banker85 says:
I think it is a GREAT idea. Maybe closest to the hole and a putting contest???

note: you shoulda put "No Homo" after "I like the idea of watching Dustin Johnson battle Bubba Watson to see who has the biggest...driver." becasue that was kinda homo.

8/2/12

jeffcroupier says:
you wouldn't be seeing Bubba and Dustin in the Olympic long-drive event, you'd be seeing guys you've never heard of who actually compete in long drive all the time.

8/2/12

jeffcroupier says:
what would be more compelling is taking the regular long-drive competitors and put them in a short-game competition

8/2/12

homermania says:
Skills challenge for medals is a great idea.

8/2/12

larrynjr says:
putting and hole in one challenges. Long drive is a natural. Many other events have a distance component; long jump, shotput, javalin, diskus....

8/2/12

Backquak says:
long drive, closest to the pin challenges, a 36 hole stroked play, with a match play final of the top 8, or something that will keep it entertaining and have the individual and overall metals for the teams, there are lots of ways they could do it. just a 72 hole stroke play event for 3 metals is kinda lame, let's get this thing to the board, I think Cink is on to something

8/2/12

badcaddy says:
makes sense to me. to have just the 72 hole stroke play event is boring. it can stay as an individual event, but there should also be a team event. 2 man teams over 3 days similar to the World Cup (1 round each of alternate shot, best ball, singles), lowest score wins. there can also be long drive, closest to the pin with irons and a putting events.

8/2/12

meatball413 says:
I just hope there are qualifying rounds to make the Olympics to represent USA, like every other Olympic event (aside from basketball). if they take the best ranked golfers in the world, how is that any different than every other event we watch week in and week out? Give the non-pga players a chance to qualify.

8/3/12

Virtuaframax says:
they should have a match play as indivdual event and other mini events as team scoring points for each event and see who gets the most as a country (long putt, closest to the pin, long drive, and any other skill shot possible: some good ideas could be taken from the cghallenges on Big Break)

8/3/12

Matt McGee says:
How about a 72-hole modified Stableford format with extra points for KPs, long drive, accurate drive, etc?

8/3/12

Torleif Sorenson says:
One idea could be drawn from the NCAAs: Not just individual competition, but an overall team competition should be included as well.

8/4/12