Hey Patrick, there’s no prizemoney at the Olympics

Hey Patrick, there’s no prizemoney at the Olympics

by Paul Gueorgieff

The Olympic Games is less than 12 months away.

The games are to be held in France from July 27-August 12 and golf is part of the programme.

At this point Patrick Cantlay would make the United States team. I wonder if he will wear a cap?

I ask that question in relation to his hat-less appearance at the Ryder Cup in August.

It was suggested that Cantlay's constant refusal to wear a cap was in protest that Ryder Cup players do not get paid.

Breaking news: Players at the Olympic Games are not paid either. 

That makes me wonder will Cantlay refuse selection for the Olympic Games should he qualify? Is he willing to stand by his principles?

For us on the sidelines what makes the likes of the Olympic Games and the Ryder Cup is that the players are playing for the honour of representing their country — not for the millions of dollars in prizemoney.

Cantlay is the winer of eight tournaments on the PGA Tour and his earnings from that tour are a mere $US42 million. That’s about a mere $NZ72 million.

Is it too much to ask to have a week with no prizemoney once every four years? You know, just like those super rich athletes who will represent their countries in the highly wealthy sports such as water polo, judo, artistic gymnastics and trampolining.

Oddly enough the golf venue for the Olympic Games is Le Golf National, the very same venue that was for the Ryder Cup.

This will be the third time golf has been part of the Olympics since it’s return in 2016 at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil following an absence of 112 years.

At this point the New Zealand representatives would be Ryan Fox and Daniel Hillier for the men and Lydia Ko and Momoka Kobori for the women.

Did you know that Ko will be bidding the first person to win three golf medals at the Olympics.

She won silver at Rio and bronze at Tokyo in 2000.

Getting back to money, did you know this year’s LIV Golf season is over?

LIV Golf has been going for two years and has been flooded in money.

But has it drawn your interest? Not for me, I would have to say.

To be fair it does not help that we do not have television coverage of any LIV Golf tournaments.

I am told you can view tournaments on the internet but I simply  do not have the enthusiasm to search for them. 

That’s sad for me to say considering that one of my favourite golfers, Cameron Smith of Australia, plays LIV Golf.