ATLANTA – In his first press conference since last month’s Olympics, PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said he was encouraged with golf’s performance in Rio and expects the game to remain in the Olympic program.
Specifically, Finchem addressed the high-profile withdrawals by many of the game’s top players – including world No. 1 Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy.
“Based on the reaction of some of those players after, having not gone, and learning about the difference between negative commentary ahead of an Olympics and reality,” Finchem said, “just ask the players who did go. It was a game-changer in their minds.”
Finchem also said he’s curious how golf’s inclusion in the Games will impact global growth.
“You have about 85 countries where the governments invest money in sports but only in sports that are on the Olympic program,” he said. “Those are 85 countries that haven’t had government funding before, and now they’re getting it. How are we leveraging that to help grow the game globally?”
Finchem suggested officials with the International Golf Federation, which runs golf in the Olympics, will likely look into tweaking the format for the 2020 Games to include a team element to the competition.