Stars differ on golf's Olympic prospects
Wednesday, 6 August 2008
World number two Phil Mickelson has spoken out in favour of golf becoming an Olympic sport but Masters champion Trevor Immelman takes the opposite view.
Speaking at Oakland Hills ahead of this week's PGA Championship, Mickelson said that 'having golf as an Olympic sport is exponentially more important to the game of golf than the majors'.
Listen to Phil Mickelson on golf in the Olympics
Mickelson believes that it would be good for all sectors of the game due to the increased worldwide attention and the revenues that would come into the sport if it was included in the Olympics.
Immelman takes the opposite view and would like to see the Olympics scaled back to include only the more traditional sports such as gymnastics, swimming, track and field and weightlifting.
The South African added that sports such as tennis, golf and basketball whose leading players earn big money week-in week-out should not be part of the games.
Golf is one of seven sports seeking inclusion in the Olympics for 2016. Ty Votaw, the PGA Tour's Vice President of Communications, is heading an International Golf Federation's Olympic Committee which is campaigning for golf's inclusion.
The other sports on the short list are baseball, karate, roller sports, rugby sevens, softball and squash. Golf is bidding to become an Olympic sport for the first time since 1904, when 74 Americans and three Candians contested the medals in St Louis.
The IOC will vote on the matter in October 2009.
