Dale Jackson Blog From Rio Olympics - Day 4 And Back Home
According To Dale Jackson, Golf Belongs In The Olympics, Especially Based Upon His Experience In Rio As A Rules Official - Image Credit Dale Jackson
Victoria's Dale Jackson has been in Rio as a golf rules official for the 2016 Olympic Games and provided a blog on what he saw and experienced as Canada attempted to defend its Gold Medal from the 1904 Olympic Games the last time golf was a part of the quadrennial event. Here is the final entry from his trip to Brazil.
Day 4 And Back Home
The final day really brought the whole Olympic experience into focus. I was with the fourth to last group of Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand), Gregory Bourdy (France) and Rafa Cabrara Bello (Spain). All three were in a position that they could have contended for the Bronze medal, (Justin) Rose and (Henrik) Stenson had pulled away from the rest of the field and only a very poor round by either would have let someone in for the Silver.
Aphibarnrat and Cabrara Bello played quite well, indeed at one point in the middle of the round both were tied for third. They faltered just slightly on the back nine and finished tied for fifth. It was a fairly easy day for rulings, just four straight forward Immovable Obstructions situations.
What made the day very special for me (and I think everyone else) were the crowds that turned out. While prior to Sunday there was no mistaking this was the Olympics, with signage everywhere, Sunday brought out a very Olympic crowd. There were people from all over the world and athletes from the other sports there to cheer on their teammates. I saw a lot of Canadian athlete uniforms in the crowd and wish I had the time to stop and chat.
I have been fortunate to referee at 12 majors and about 15 other PGA TOUR events. This crowd was different than at any of those events. They were wildly enthusiastic and not particularly knowledgable about golf. That lent a festive air to the proceedings and it was really enjoyable, although the players were frequently backing off shots because of various distractions.
By the time we reached 18, the stands were packed and there were roars of approval for each group as it approached the green. There was a real sense that the world had gathered in Rio and at the golf course. We finished the round and I joined the crowds to watch the last groups come in.
What a finish, right down to the last green to decide the winner. Two great golfers, Justin Rose (of Great Britain) and Henrik Stenson (of Sweden) battled for 72 holes and either one would have been a worthy champion. In the end, of course, Rose prevailed and he won Gold, Stenson Silver and (American) Matt Kuchar Bronze.
And then it was all over, and like all tournaments, there is a slightly deflated feeling, it all builds up in the months and weeks before and then it is in the past. I enjoyed a fabulous dinner at a very upscale Italian restaurant with a couple of friends from England and then packed up and was in bed early for a long day back home (actually days).
image credit dale jackson
A Very Nice Red Wine From Uruguay Accompanied The Exquisite Italian Meal On Dale's Final Night In Rio
I was up at 5am for an 8:30 flight from Rio to São Paulo. Then it was one of the most boring days of my life, enduring a 9 hour layover in the airport (as you can imagine all flights in and out of Brazil are busy and this was the only routing I could find). Finally, we took off for the 10.5 hour flight to Toronto. We landed at 5:30am Tuesday, had a 2.5 hour layover in Toronto and then the 5 hour flight home, in total it was about 33 hours door-to-door.
Was it all worth it? Absolutely, and I would get on the plane tomorrow to do it again. It was one of the highlights of my time as a referee, one I will always remember fondly. More importantly, having golf back in the Olympics will be very good for the game globally.
Golf is being exposed to a whole new audience in these two weeks and that can only help it develop. With several of the top male golfers choosing not to go (I note here the total mosquito sightings for the week remained zero) there were concerns about the success of golf in the Olympics. At least in my judgement, those concerns have proven to be unfounded.
As I write this, the women have just completed their second round and they are putting on an impressive display. Golf will be played in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo but the decision to accept the sport permanently into the Olympics will be made before then. Its future as an Olympic sport will be made on the basis of the Rio games. I hope we have proven it should stay.
So I will now end this blog, I hope it has been of some interest to those reading it. For me it is back to the real world.
To Read Dale's earlier entries on his experiences as a golf rules official for the 2016 Rio Olympics, click the links below.
Golf In Rio: A Referee's Perspective - And So It Begins
Victoria's Dale Jackson Provides Daily Olympic Golf Blog
Dale Jackson Golf Blog From Rio Olympics - Day Two, Round One