A Roundtable Discussion

Three area writers discuss the details of how it might all unfold if Chicago were to be awarded the 2016 games and golf is added as an Olympic sport.

TIM CRONIN n October 2009, Covers golf for the SouthtownStar. He is the author of five Chicagoans will know books, including the forthcoming history of Beverly Country Club. He's covered golf, auto racing and the Blackhawks for the result of the parts of four decades. effort to land the I2016 Summer Olympics. At that time, the decision will be ED SHERMAN announced regarding the possible addition of Covered golf for the Chicago Tribune for more than a decade. Also wrote a media column for 10 years; other major golf to the roster of . In this issue, assignments previously included national college football and the White Sox. Chicago District Golfer presents the second of its discussions regarding golf as a sport in the potential 2016 Chicago Olympics.

LEN ZIEHM Clockwide, from upper left: ; Rafael Has covered golf for the Chicago Sun-Times for Nadel of Spain, the gold medal winner in men’s 38 years. Other major beats have included the Chicago tennis at the 2008 Olympics; and the clubhouse at Blackhawks (since 2001), soccer and Northwestern Medinah Country Club. Page 30: Michael Phelps University athletics. and Lorena Ochoa. Photos by Getty Images.

28 WWW.CDGA.ORG CHICAGO DISTRICT GOLFER: Will Chicago be that it’d be a fifth major, but that just for men’s and women’s; you couldn’t excited about the prospects of an Olympic golf hasn’t happened. It’s a half-size set up for men one week and women competition? After all, is there anything new about tournament with only 64 players. the next. You wouldn’t want a going to see , Stuart Appleby or Lorena ED: I never heard about tennis in tournament one week and have it all Ochoa? and I know Nadal and some trampled down, then bring in whoever TIM: I think Chicago will be excited if it big names were playing. I know from is next. gets the Olympics. If you look back to being at the Games, I’d walk ED: We might be looking at men’s at , even soccer sold out in by the tennis center and it’d be pretty one place and women’s at another, the Olympics and back in 1984 people empty, and we all know with the like a Glen Club, where it isn’t as long, weren’t that into soccer. Chicago is a , it’s a big sport down or a top country club where you don’t great golf town, always has been, and I there. I don’t understand why golf need 7,500 yards. I think the women think it will do very well. Folks will be would want to go down this road, would have a lot more alternatives excited about the Olympics proper, other than trying to get funding for because they don’t need as much real but can golf carve out a niche within emerging countries’ golf programs, but estate. that two-week time period for people there are probably other ways to do TIM: That’s why I think Medinah or in Chicago, around the nation and that. Olympia Fields would work. You world? could play on No. 1 and No. 3 on LEN: I think there’s a real danger with CDG: If Chicago were to get the Olympics and golf Medinah or North and South at golf in the Olympics getting lost in the were to be added to the roster of sports, what Olympia, but where do you put all the shuffle with all the other events. I venues would be considered? think the key to whether it succeeds TIM: Since it’s going to will be the format they choose for the be a big event, the two “If Tiger were to play, it’d generate competition. It would be good if they places that come to pattern it like an NCAA tournament, mind are Olympia some interest, but again, it’d be a where you have both an individual Fields and Medinah. and a team (nation) champion. It’s One thing to consider secondary sport, and using tennis more important for golf to be in the is that you know Olympics than it be held in Chicago. they’d be able to sell as the model, you wonder why golf Golf needs to be in the Olympics for corporate tents for the the sake of the sport. It will be a tough Olympics no matter would want to go through this sell, it won’t be the only show in where they are, which town—it never has been—and with the works well in golf. exercise and be overshadowed.” Olympics it will be very much a sec- Those would sell out ondary deal. and you’d have no one —ED SHERMAN ED: The example I would use is, can on the course watching you name the gold medal winners in and everyone in the tennis? I think tennis definitely gets tents watching other Olympic events. I infrastructure? At Medinah you could lost in the Olympics and I don’t know know Olympia Fields is interested; it put it on No. 2. why golf would want to do that. When has had fundraisers in support of the ED: I don’t think it’s as big as the U.S. I was at the Sydney Olympics (2000), 2016 bid. The name even fits in— Open. no one paid much attention to tennis, Olympia Fields—they were named that TIM: It’s the first time since 1904, so we even with the Williams sisters playing. because Amos Alonzo Stagg was the don’t know. In Beijing, (Rafael) Nadal was playing first president and wanted to have a and you never saw a word about that. place where you could have the CDG: If golf in the 2016 Chicago Games does In swimming and track, the gold amateur ideals of athletics . . . and just materialize, what kind of changes would that medal is the standard, it’s the No.1 happen to play golf. create? You wouldn’t want to play that year’s BMW thing. In tennis, it’s winning a Grand LEN: I’d like to toss Cog Hill in there. I Championship in Chicago, would you? Slam event. In golf, it’s winning one of think it’d be good if they had the TIM: They’d have seven years to figure the majors. I think when you know men’s and women’s competitions at out their schedules. So they’d be able this isn’t the ultimate, I think it’d take different venues to spread it out a bit, to know that they need to move our away from golf being marquee in the but I don’t think it matters where you regular tour event out of town or to a Olympics. have it. different time of year. And it really TIM: Some people thought when tennis ED: I think that brings up an excellent depends when the Olympics are. Are entered the games in in 1988, question. You would need two courses they in July? Do you play them in the

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dog days of August? The television Olympics than another PGA event. to highlight the final match in 15 networks would probably have a lot to That’s only four years—a lot of minutes rather than showing four do with that. I’d think you’d want it to championship golf at a private club. hours of golf when you’ve got so be the only event in town. If the PGA TIM: It is but it’d be the first golf in the much else going on. Tour is behind this as they say, they’d Olympics in 112 years, since they had LEN: Yes, I think the Western Amateur want to move everything out of the it in St. Louis, and the prestige of format would be absolutely perfect for way so that the spotlight in Chicago saying, “Here we are and we hosted the Olympics. golf was on the Olympics.” ED: Talking about match play, it’s one thing, the ED: I agree, but I don’t see a way the always a dicey proposition because Olympics. BMW would be here in 2016. you could end up with Henrik LEN: It’s an Stenson against in the interesting CDG: What kind of format would you like to see in final match when everyone wants concept, but the Olympics? Tiger vs. Phil. I’m not sure it’d TIM: Everyone seems to say that we TIM: For the Olympics, that be necessary. The need to play 72 holes of stroke play might work. Maybe some guy Olympic golf from Thailand gets hot movement would and is now in the be a lot different. I Olympics. That builds can’t picture it being golf internationally, like this year, where which is why all these we’re moving events associations want to because of the Ryder Cup; get golf in. we can’t have a BMW here ED: I like your because we’ll have the Ryder thinking, but I Cup in 2012. I think the believe they’ll Olympics would be so much think it is too different, both different dicey. You just players and scope. don’t know what You’d certainly want to you’ll get and schedule away from it. they’ll go with TIM: The WGA might want to stroke play. move it, just to be sure. Obviously with LEN: Yes, just to schedule away match play, from it, but I don’t think it’s everyone talks necessary to say we won’t about how great have a PGA event here it is, but the that year. World Match ED: I think it’d be a no-brainer, Play hasn’t been they’d absolutely move it out an unqualified of town. I think the PGA Tour success because has some commitments that all the favorites they need to fulfill to other places and if only to get the star players on lose so early, but I do like the concept. that’d be a good excuse to do it. I can’t weekend television, where somebody They’d have to be creative with it see any way the BMW would be here. would pay attention. I’d like to see because you can’t go in with a regular If you just go by when we had the something like the Western Amateur 72-hole stroke play event and think PGA Championship or U.S. Open, the format, where you have three days of it’s going to be unique. There’s too Western Open was severely impacted stroke play, with 36 holes on the third many possibilities they could use and with ticket sales and I don’t think day, and then you have a 16-player it needs to be unique. they’d want to go up against the match play tournament. Maybe the Olympics. And concerning Medinah as team championship is set up through CDG: Would the average viewer understand the a venue, they’d only be four years the low aggregate score in the 72-hole Western Amateur format? removed from the Ryder Cup and you stroke play, then the top 16 go for the TIM: I think if it’s the , know they’ll be in play for more PGA individual gold in match play. Again, they go for it. It doesn’t take that long Championships and such, so I don’t it’s the Olympics, so do something to figure out. know if they’d necessarily be a player, different. And for television purposes, ED: I sit and watch the gymnastics and though I guess they’d rather have the it might be easier for some networks I have no clue how they calculate

30 CHICAGO DISTRICT GOLFER things, but people get into it because it’s the Olympics. Will they get into it? I think you need to give them “I think if he is healthy, he’ll have 23, 24 majors under his belt something different to pique their interest a little and would love to play the Olympics. He has always wanted to because you’re competing against so much other stuff. win everything and it’s the one thing he won’t have.” The hottest tickets are —TIM CRONIN going to be the track, gymnastics and swimming events. looked pretty happy. There are several TIM: It’d need to catch on with the CDG: Does Tiger Woods need to compete in order 18-year-old golfers out there around players. If the players didn’t think it to make this a success? the world that will be 25-year old stars was important and withdrew or didn’t ED: Golf will be down the pecking in 2016. They will be part of a new want to play, order, and that said, we’ve seen what generation of golfers whose names we Olympic Committee would look at it happens when Tiger is out. If they don’t even know right now. and say, “Why are we doing this?” don’t get Tiger—he’s never a guarantee ED: I don’t think Tiger will ever be a That’s why baseball is getting tossed, to play anything—it’s going to be a real ceremonial golfer unless his knee is an because the major leaguers don’t play. roll of the dice whether it’s successful. issue. It’ll be interesting to see what The Olympics crossed the line from TIM: I think if he is healthy, he’ll have kind of shape he’s in, but I think if amateurs to professionals quite some 23, 24 majors under his belt and you assume he’s still going to be a time ago and it’s not going back. If the would love to play the Olympics. He powerful player, I think he’d play just players go for it, the audience has always wanted to win everything to say he played in the Olympics. appreciates it, and the IOC sees folks and it’s the one thing he won’t have. TIM: By then, Michelle Wie will be 25 in the galleries, I think it’ll make it. ED: And I don’t think you can and leading the American women’s underestimate the power of being able team. Maybe. to walk in in the opening ceremonies under the U.S. banner and flag, and I CDG: Certainly this is a subject that makes for an think that’s something all these golfers interesting discussion. What are some of your have never had a chance to do. I think closing thoughts you’d like to leave with people? that’d be a pretty heavy incentive for TIM: It’d be fascinating if someone him to be able to do that once. I doubt decided to restrike the original more than once, but the first one I Olympic cup, which was the team think he’d do it. competition trophy the Western Golf LEN: No doubt if the Olympics were Association won in 1904 that was lost this year, Tiger would need to be there in a fire at Memphis Country Club in to make it work for golf, but I don’t 1923. There’s pictures, maybe know if that’d be the case in 2016. someone could build a new cup and He’ll face intense pressure to hand it to the team champions. participate, which would be very hard ED: Wouldn’t you want the gold to turn down, but I’m not too sure by medal? that time, when he gets all his goals TIM: It’s inside. It’s like the check in the accomplished with the majors, that he green jacket at Augusta. might not relegate to be a ceremonial ED: I think it’d be interesting, I just golfer. think that from what I’ve seen, it’d TIM: At 40, when Jack won two majors, be lost in the shuffle unless Tiger you know Tiger will still be strong. would play. That’d be the only thing ED: He’ll have accomplished pretty to save it. much everything by then. I think the LEN: I think it’d be a valid addition to incentive to be able to walk in those the world sports scene if we had a opening ceremonies would probably Western Am-style format with the style entice him to play four rounds of golf. of the old George S. May tournaments. TIM: Especially if you can carry the It’d be a celebration of golf in the flag like Nadal did for Spain. He Olympics. I think it’d be fun.

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