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Conversations with three Olympians

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Conversations with three Olympians

In 10 years, Riviera is scheduled to host the golf competition in the 2028 Summer Games. It's never too early to look ahead.



    Written by Mike McAllister @PGATOUR_MikeMc

    Ten years from now, Los Angeles will host the 2028 Summer Olympics. Provided golf is part of the program, the host course will be Riviera Country Club, site of last week's Genesis Open. Not only does Riviera host an annual PGA TOUR event, it also has hosted three majors and several other significant events.

    On the surface, it seems a perfect choice.

    The International Olympic Committee has not yet approved the sports to be played in Los Angeles, but golf will be among the sports played in the 2024 Games in Paris. That will mark the third straight Olympics for golf's inclusion, after the sport returned to the program at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro following a 112-year absence. Nothing's guaranteed, of course, but inclusion in Paris is a positive sign that golf likely will be played at the L.A. Games.

    With the Winter Games currently being held in South Korea, it's an appropriate time to discuss Riviera and other Olympic topics with three of the golfers from Rio: the United States' Matt Kuchar, winner of the bronze medal; Ireland's Padraig Harrington, a member of the International Golf Federation's final presentation bid group that secured the sport's return; and India's Anirban Lahiri, one of 117 athletes from his country, the most India has ever sent to the Olympics.

    In addition, there are bonus comments from a potential 2028 Olympian -- American Jordan Spieth, who will turn 35 years old while the Summer Games are being played in Los Angeles. Spieth did not participate in Rio but is a good bet to qualify for the 2020 Games in Tokyo.

    Olympic golf at Riviera

    In Rio, a new course built by golf designer Gil Hanse and consultant Amy Alcott received positive reviews. At the 2020 Games in Tokyo, the golf competition will be played at Kasumigaseki Country Club, which opened in 1929 and has hosted four Japan Opens. At the 2024 Games in Paris, golf will be played at Le Golf National, which is hosting this year's Ryder Cup.

    The golf competition, as currently structured, consists of two competitions - a 72-hole stroke-play event for men, and a 72-hole stroke-play event for women. Although format changes may be discussed, the key for any Olympics golf course is that it must provide fair competition for both men and women.

    What do you think of Riviera as an Olympic course?

    PADRAIG HARRINGTON: "I think the golf course is great. It's one of the few tournaments we come to that is tournament-ready every week of the year. If they turned around and had to hold the U.S. Open here next week, the USGA could get the scores they want as this great golf course just sits there. Nothing needs to be done to it. It would make a great Olympic venue."

    JORDAN SPIETH: "Honestly, it's about time that another major tournament comes to this golf course. It continues to be one of the best stops of the year on TOUR year after year; one of the more difficult stops but still fair. It's just hard to have that these days. You almost have to, you know, change golf courses, and this one you just don't have to. It's just one of the best ones in the world in my opinion."

    ANIRBAN LAHIRI: "What a great venue. Fantastic venue. Definitely my favorite course in the U.S. I like the way they set it up. I think it's a challenge. It's not overly demanding in any one department. You don't have to hit 310 [yard drives] or you don't have to have hands of wizards around these greens. It's all about shaping shots. Just doing the basics right. Knowing which side of the green to mis-hit it and where to position yourself. I love that."

    MATT KUCHAR: "It's a great test of golf. It's withstood the test of time. I think it would be a great venue."

    HARRINGTON: "Obviously for majors and that, they struggle a little bit with the infrastructure. So probably the Olympics is ideal. Course-wise, it's perfect. Spectator-wise, it's perfect. I assume there's not the [amount of] corporate hospitality at the Olympics, so it will also work very well for us. A big plus for them and certainly a golf course that's kind of idea to have it."

    LAHIRI: "I love courses that challenge you quite simply and this is one of those, if you get to double digits, you've got a great chance to win. I would say that's not the case with 95 percent of the tournaments that we play. And the 5 percent that is the case, they're usually 7,800 yards long. So this stands out in the sense that it challenges you in ways that I think are more true to golf. You have to hit every shot in the book and deal with winds and everything."

    SPIETH: "For the Olympics on the world stage, it certainly is a phenomenal event to be held here."

    KUCHAR: "It's fantastic for any time -- for casual Saturday, for Olympics, for PGA Championship, for Genesis Open. I think it's an awesome golf course."

    LAHIRI: "When you have a one-dimensional challenge, which seems to be the case more and more, it takes a lot of players out of contention. In the sense that, they could still win, but they have to putt lights out, or have to do something lights out. But a week like this, if you're hitting it solid and you can hit it maybe 280, you've got as good a chance to win as someone who hits it 320. So I like the fact that it equalizes, despite the way the game has changed over the last 20 years. The challenge of playing this golf course has remained."

    Is Riviera equally fair for men and women competitors?

    HARRINGTON: "This is a great course, fantastic -- and it sets up for everybody. Obviously they've got to play the men and the women. I don't see it being anything other than being a good golf course."

    LAHIRI: "There's going to be holes where there's not more than a 10-yard difference on the tees [between the men and women], and there'll be holes where it's 150 yards because there are a couple of holes that are long. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying it's not long. I've hit a few 4-irons into par 4s today. But that's the challenge of the wind. It's coming off the ocean today. It might come off land tomorrow. It just changes the nature of the golf course."

    KUCHAR: "I have no idea what women would like. I really don't know what they look for in a golf course."

    Viewpoint as an Olympian

    Golfers did not grow up in hopes of one day becoming Olympians; it was simply not an option. But that changed when golf was voted into the Rio Games. Some were quick to see the importance of the momentum and opportunity and chase the new dream.

    Harrington became part of the movement, and once in Rio, he enjoyed the chance to attend other Olympic events and hang out in the Olympic Village (he was one of several men's golfers who stayed the extra week after their competition was over). Kuchar reached the podium along with Great Britain's Justin Rose (gold) and Sweden's Henrik Stenson (silver). He walked off the course still trying to grasp the enormity of the moment. Lahiri, meanwhile, had been pushing hard during his first season as a PGA TOUR member and was a bit worn down - and also injured. He finished 57th out of 59 golfers who completed the four rounds.

    They've now had approximately 18 months to digest their first Olympics games.

    Do you look at the Olympics differently now that you're an Olympian?

    KUCHAR: "I don't think so. I think I'm still the same fan of it. I think I'm a fan of sport, big fan of the Olympics. I don't think it's changed the way I look. I still have the same interests and share the same excitement. When I was a kid watching it, I thought it was awesome. I still think it's awesome."

    LAHIRI: "I think it's very special. We all represent our countries obviously. But when you are donning your national blazer or national colors, that's a feeling you're not going to get very often. It is a very special experience, sharing space with all the best athletes in your country and the best athletes in this world in every sport. For me, the privilege comes from being able to talk to them, hear their stories, to be inspired by what they had to go through to get where they are. All of us have our own stories and a lot of people are inspired by them. But there's so much more out there, in other sports and other disciplines, that we are completely unaware of. You could be the world champion or best in the world at your discipline, but your one of maybe 300 people like that, maybe more. As opposed to when you are competing only in your sport. That's what makes it special, the opportunity to interact, spend time, and just be inspired."

    HARRINGTON: "Yes for sure. It reminded me, the Winter Olympics, that I'm an Olympian. It's just different. You see different things happening, different emotions at the Olympics. Clearly if you win a gold medal, it's unbelievable. But just to compete, for a lot of athletes, is a big deal. Then some athletes, to compete and then failing, it's their life. It's a disaster -- or it feels like a disaster. Emotionally, it's a disaster. I just enjoy watching all that going on. And there's a certain satisfaction in having been an Olympian. It comes up every now and again. Like to trot it out there -- I'm an Olympic athlete."

    LAHIRI: "As special as it is to be an Olympian, unless you can get on that podium and get a medal for your country, it shouldn't really change you. It's an honor and a privilege but it's not something that is in and of itself a big achievement. I mean, it is, but it shouldn't be enough to change the way people look at you. At least that's the way I feel about it.

    "I'd love to get the opportunity again. I was really bummed that I played injured when I did play in Rio and I was nowhere near my best. I had hurt my shoulder around the British Open, pulled out of couple of events, didn't play the FedExCup Playoffs, so it was unfortunate that the timing was such. I will definitely prepare differently for Tokyo if I'm fortunate enough to get on the team. I'm going to be working specifically towards getting on the team and if and when I get the chance, I'll prepare for the Olympics slightly differently than the last time. It was my first year on TOUR, and I had to play a lot of golf. Circumstances were such I wasn't at my best. You want to prepare for the Olympics like it's a major. At least I believe so. And I didn't because I had my job on the line. I finished 119th in the FedExCup but it wasn't the best season for me. In hindsight, I'm glad I was there and I got the experience and I did what I did, but I learned a lot from it. Obviously, if I'm fortunate to make the team, I'll change a few things going to Tokyo."

    Have you been watching the Winter Olympics?

    HARRINGTON: "Watching it as much as I can."

    SPIETH: "I've been real busy every night. I've had stuff going back to last week every night. I haven't had a chance to watch as much as I want to, but I certainly will going forward here."

    KUCHAR: "A bit. I haven't been recording and watching it all day, but when I get home and it's on prime time, I tune in."

    LAHIRI: "I haven't watched any at all. It's funny - being from India, the Winter Olympics it's a non-event for most of us. I hate to say it but it's just one of those things. We barely get snow, and when we do, it's limited to a very small amount of our country. I think we've had a few athletes despite what we have. It's not a big Winter Olympics culture unfortunately. It's not something I'm happy about. But maybe now staying in the states, living here, I'll watch a lot more of it."

    KUCHAR: "Favorite winter sport? Short track's exciting to watch. I really enjoy the short track speedskating. But probably the downhill skiing. Just the speed they get up to. The few times I've skied, I have a huge appreciation for what they do. I think it's awesome watching that. That's kind of like the equivalent of the 100 or 200 meters in the Summer Olympics. It's all-out speed and you kind of just see how intense and how on edge they really are."

    HARRINGTON: "I don't think I have a favorite sport. I just get caught up in the competition, the athletes, the celebration -- even if they are favorites, they perform to what their expectations are above. It's amazing watching the highs and lows. Clearly I can't tell, skill-wise, I don't know enough about the sports. But I can certainly see the tension, and the emotions afterwards. When it comes to TV watching, it's brilliant."

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