If you are a sports fan then certainly you are currently following the Olympic Games. Well if you are reading this then you either missed out on the golf festivities or you are looking for an excellent summary of what you witnessed. Allow us to fill you in on everything you need to know about Olympic golf this year.
Notable Stories
Heading into the tournament all eyes were on the Korean competitors, Sungjae Im and Si Woo. The stakes were high for these two, because in their home country all able bodied men are required to serve in the military for 18-24 months. Their only way out of this requirement was by winning a medal at the Olympic Games.
Unfortunately they did fall short of the medals, so they will have to return to their country and serve their time. We wish these men the best of luck in their future and hope to see them competing again soon.
Besides the Koreans there was a surprising victor sitting atop the leaderboard at the end of the first day of competition. This was none other than Austrian Sepp Straka who was leading on the first day by a score of eight under par.
Straka managed to make it through the first day without making a single bogey, which as you can imagine led to the strong start.
Straka wasn’t the only competitor that went bogey free on the first day, with Justin Thomas right behind him. Although the problem with Thomas was that he went birdie and eagle free as well. On Wednesday Thomas played eighteen holes and made eighteen pars. This would certainly please a lot of ameatur golfers around the world, but for the pros this would be an annoying day. Either way Thomas managed to laugh off the round when asked about the day and summarize it into one word, he simply said “Par”.
The Gold Medalist
From the second day onward, American Xander Schauffle sat atop the leaderboard and represented America well. Following in his father’s Olympic dreams, Schauffle was more than proud to take home the gold medal this weekend. For those that do not know, Schauffle’s father used to live in Germany and tried for the Olympics there. Until his hopes were crushed at the young age of 20 when he was hit by a drunk driver and became blind in his left eye. It is safe to say that Schauffle was more than proud to win this medal.
Looking Forward
Coming off the worldwide stage here we actually move forward with another worldwide event at the WGC-Fedex St. Jude Invitational. This is a great transition from the Olympics back to professional golf, because it keeps that level of international competition the same. Many athletes left the Olympics prouder than when they came and had a newfound appreciation and drive for the sport. It will certainly be fun to watch this passion carry over back onto the professional tours that the players are accustomed to.