With golf making it's first appearance in the Olympics since 1904, we thought we'd have a go at predicting how the players will fare at the Games in Rio:
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| Photo: getyourgorgeouson.com |
Gold medal:
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| Photo: fansided.com |
David: Matt Kuchar
The complete apex of form and experience. Kuch has had a stellar 2016 and, unlike countrymen Bubba Watson and Rickie Fowler, hasn’t peaked too soon this season. He’s as excited as anyone in the competition and, in a slightly thinned down field, he is perfectly poised to pounce this week.
Michael: Henrik Stenson
Man of the moment after a sensational display at Royal Troon won him the Claret Jug, the Swede backed it up with another strong performance at the PGA Championship to prove that he is the man of the moment. He's number 1 on the PGA Tour for GIR and is ranked 11th in converting those chances into par breakers. I'm backing Stenson to continue his superb form with a victory in Rio.
Silver medal:
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| Photo: bbc.co.uk |
David: Sergio Garcia
Perhaps the only thing that is more uncertain than details of the golf course the guys will be playing on will be the fans on the other side of the ropes. An educated guess would tell of a slightly more rowdy crowd than is typically seen at, say, a PGA Tour event. Not only is Sergio in ridiculously good form, but his Ryder Cup experience could prove invaluable to surviving the “Rio Roar”.
Michael: Patrick Reed
Speaking of players in form, Reed is having a fine summer with four top 15 finishes coming into these Olympics. The American's high sand-save percentage will come in handy on a course littered with bunkers. With one of the best short games in the business, Reed will most certainly be up amongst the medals come Sunday.
Bronze medal:
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David: Nicolas Colsaerts
The hipster choice, but with plenty of reason behind it. The designer for this new course, Gil Hanse, took his inspiration from one of his other courses – Castle Stuart. Colsaerts scored as well as any other Olympic player at the Scottish Open (which took place at CS last month). A mixed bag, but the Belgian has had a marked improvement this year (spearheaded with improved putting stats) which looks to culminate this week.
Michael: Emiliano Grillo
Although ranked a lowly 39th in the world, Grillo is someone I can see performing well in this tournament. A quintent of top 15 finishes since June shows that he's playing some good golf, while the South American he may gain some home advantage both with the conditions and the roaring crowds.
Wildcard:
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David: Wen-Tang Lin.
Yeah, that’s right. If I’m going to pick a wildcard, best we go really off the beaten track. His win in the Hong Kong Open a few years ago in a playoff against McIlroy and Molinari shows he isn’t fazed by big names and crowds, and he is on ridiculously good form of late (T5, T3, T2 leading into this week). He’s building up to a win. Absolutely nobody is talking about Chinese Taipei, but I expect a big surprised from them this week.
Michael: Rafa Cabrera Bello
Aside from the big names, I'm tipping Cabrera Bello to be in contention for a medal this weekend. The Spaniard is having a great 2016 with top 3 finishes at the Qatar Masters, the Dubai Classic and the WGC Match Play as well as a 4th placed finish at the French Open last month. Ranked 8th on the European Tour for scoring, Cabrera Bello is quickly becoming one of the most consistent pros in the game.
How will the Brits fare?
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| Photo: espn.co.uk |
David: Not very well. A fair chunk of attention will be paid to Danny Willett, but his game has gone cold since his triumph at the Masters. Justin Rose has been sporadic too but he does have the maturity to play well in these unfamiliar conditions. Third in this field from tee-to-green (only behind Rickie and Henrik), if Rose starts holing puts then there’s nothing standing between him and a medal.
Michael: On their day, Danny Willett and Justin Rose are two very impressive golfers. But I fear this tournament has come at the wrong time for both of them. After winning at Augusta back in April, Willett hasn't taken to life with the green jacket too well. In the eight events he's entered since The Masters, he's only recorded one top 20 finish. As for Rose, a back injury in June looked like it may well cut his season short, but he's battled back and regained a bit of form with back-to-back T-22 finishes at The Open and the PGA Championship. The big question mark remains over his putting (the former US Open winner is ranked 98th on the PGA Tour for putting). Having said all that, I hope they both prove me completely wrong and bring back home some medals.
