Left field

Should golf be back on the Olympic schedule?

Friday’s announcement in Copenhagen that golf would be added to the Olympic schedule from the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro sparked joyous reaction from players past and present, along with a few dissenting voices.

World number one Tiger Woods declared it “a perfect fit” while fellow great Jack Nicklaus voiced his pride over golf’s united front on “a great day” for the sport.

“I think it’s great for golf,” 14-times major champion Woods told reporters before Friday’s foursomes matches at the Presidents Cup team competition in San Francisco here the U.S. are taking on the Internationals.

“It’s a perfect fit for the Olympics, and I think we are all looking forward to golf getting into the Olympics. Having talked to other athletes who have gotten a chance to experience the Olympics, they have absolutely loved it and had the greatest time.”   

Nicklaus, winner of a record 18 majors, said in a statement: “This is a great day for the game of golf. “It is obvious that the unified voice of golf was not only heard but embraced by the International Olympic Committee. Now the sport I have always called the greatest game of all can be shared with the rest of the world on the greatest stage in sports.”

Triple major winner Padraig Harrington, who was part of golf’s presentation team in Copenhagen, was also excited about golf’s return to the Olympic arena after an absence of more than a century.