Golf will be great for Olympics: LPGA

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The "borderless" nature of women's golf makes it an ideal fit for the Olympic Games and its return to the official programme in Rio 2016 will help strengthen investment and interest in the sport, LPGA Commission Mike Whan has told a foreign news agency.

Whan, speaking in Singapore ahead of the HSBC Women's Champions tournament, said that while day-to-day life on the Tour was all about the individual, the concept of playing for country was one the LPGA, players and fans thoroughly embraced.

"From my perspective, the Olympics is going to give women's golf a global media platform and coverage that we just don't get on a regular basis," Whan told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday at Singapore's Tanah Merah Country Club.

"The guys get it a lot. They get global media coverage that's incredibly massive but we only get it three or four times a year," added Whan, who took over as commissioner in 2010.

"Hopefully golf will also be good for the Olympics. I feel like we have a responsibility because the Olympics is an incredible global showcase so we are feeling the pressure to do it right."

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted in 2009 to bring golf back to the Games for the first time since 1904. Rugby, which was last played at an Olympic level in 1924, is also making a return in Rio, in the Sevens format.

The decision to include golf has not been met with universal praise, with some critics suggesting the pursuit of an Olympic gold medal will always take a back seat to winning a major.

And while others suggest existing team competitions such as the Ryder and Solheim Cups could lose some of their lustre, Whan believed having an Olympic gold medal to play for every four years would serve to motivate youngsters.

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