The Losers Of Olympic Golf

Huge congratulations to Justin Rose for out dueling Henrick Stenson for the Olympic gold in Rio. He played great golf the final round and sealed the deal with a 50 yard chip or so to about 2 ft which gave him a birdie and the win on 18. Stenson had a shot at birdie on 18 to tie but couldn’t get it done. Kuch shot a 63 in the final round to backdoor into the bronze medal.

Props to Kuchar (-13, 3rd place), Bubba (-8, T for 8th), Patrick Reed (-6, T 11), and Rickie Folwer (E, T for 37th) for doing a great job representing the USA. The tournament had a different feel to it because the players weren’t playing for money but for their country. Matt Kuchar said:

“I can assure you I’ve never been so excited to finish in the top three in my life,” he told Golf Channel’s Steve Sands. “I can’t explain to you the pride I feel just burning out of my chest. It’s something I haven’t felt before.”

Aside from the great golf being played and the enormous respect that is due to the players who participated, there should also be a large amount of shame placed on the top players of the world. Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, and Adam Scott, I’m looking in your direction. It should be pointing out that the Zika virus was to blame (lame excuse) and Rory straight came across as a dick.

 

The Losers Quotes

Dustin Johnson – “As an athlete, I can think of no greater honor than representing the United States in the Olympic Games,” Johnson said in a statement Friday night. “However, after much careful consideration and discussion with both my family and my team, I have made the decision to withdraw from the 2016 Olympic Games. This was not an easy decision for me, but my concerns about the Zika virus cannot be ignored. [Wife] Paulina and I plan to have more children in the near future, and I feel it would be irresponsible to put myself, her or our family at risk.

Jason Day – “The reason for my decision is my concerns about the possible transmission of the Zika virus and the potential risks that it may present to my wife’s future pregnancies and to future members of our family,”

 

Jordan Spieth – “It’s the most exciting sporting event for me to watch on TV and to have a chance to be a part of it is something I definitely look forward to trying to do. This year I just had to try and weigh a risk that doesn’t present itself every year, and just at the time that I had to make the decision, I just felt this was the right move for me.

“Not everybody’s going to understand. Nobody’s going to understand what it’s like in my shoes . . . As you can see, a lot of golfers are trying to decide for themselves. Mine came down to just a very personal decision that, again, I don’t expect anybody to understand, but trust that I believe I’m making the right decision for myself, for my future and for those around me.” 

Rory McIlroy – I don’t feel like I’ve let the game down at all. I didn’t get into golf to try to grow the game. I tried to get into golf to win championships and major championships.