A gold medal comes with some fringe benefits for whoever manages to claim the accolade on golf’s return to the Olympics, a fact of which Pádraig Harrington is only too well aware: having failed to play in either the Masters or the US Open this season, the Dubliner - who arrived into Rio de Janeiro on Monday where he met fellow competitor Séamus Power for the first time - can secure exemptions into those two Majors for 2017 . . . . if he wins!
As part of their commitment to promoting golf at the Olympics, all four men’s Majors - and all five women’s - have ensured that whoever wins gold will earn exemptions into next year’s championships.
Harrington arrived into Rio to the news that he will be playing with Italian Matteo Manassero and New Zealand’s Danny Lee for the first two rounds of the men’s competition, which starts Thursday. The three-time Major champion will be in the second group to tee off in the first round and also has an early tee-time on Friday. “Could be to my advantage if the wind picks up during the day,” tweeted Harrington of being handed early starts.
Power, who plays on the Web.Com Tour, but set to graduate off that development circuit and guaranteed a full PGA Tour card for next season, has been drawn alongside Taiwan’s Wen-Tang Lin and India’s SSP Chowrasia for the first two rounds.
“Séamus is a very strong up-and-coming player and he will benefit from being around Pádraig,” said Paul McGinley, manager of the Irish men’s and women’s golf teams.
For Harrington, there have been indications of a welcome return to form of late but he moved on to the Olympics from a disappointing final round in the Travelers Championship in Connecticut where he had aimed to copper-fasten a place in the PGA Tour’s season-ending FedEx Cup play-offs. Unfortunately for Harrington, that aim proved beyond him - he is 131st in the standings - and, having opted not to play in next week’s Wyndham Championship, it means he can’t force his way into the top-125 who play in the Barclays.
The Olympics became one of the Harrington’s primary goals after he earned his place on the Irish team due to the withdrawals in turn of Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Shane Lowry. For sure, Harrington has embraced golf’s return to the Olympics, observing: “It might be sacrilege in the golfing world but I think an Olympic medal would add more to my career at this moment than a fourth Major . . . an Olympic gold medal would be massive and very unique in the game. As it gets closer, I’m kind of getting more excited. I’ve always been geed up for it, excited about it, but was it gets closer I’m thinking ‘wow, this is great’.”
Harrington and Power are scheduled to play practice rounds on the Gil Hanse-designed course, which has links characteristics, on Tuesday and Wednesday before the real thing gets under way on Thursday. The women’s competition, also a 72-hole individual strokeplay, takes place on the same course next week with Leona Maguire, back to number one in the amateur world rankings, and Stephanie Meadow representing Ireland.
Harrington’s post-Olympics schedule remains uncertain after failing to make the FedEx Cup playoffs, but he will likely return to play on the European Tour before fulfilling his role as one of Darren Clarke’s vice-captains at the Ryder Cup. For now, though, it is all very much about making an impact at the Olympics where there is no cut and a limited 60-player field. Two of this year’s Major champions - Masters winner Danny Willett and British Open winner Henrik Stenson - are among those competing.
