By Tod Leonard
It was an unexpected moment after the Olympic women’s golf event was over. New Zealand’s Lydia Ko went in front of a Golf Channel camera to talk about her bronze-medal finish to Nelly Korda’s triumph. And even Ko seemed taken off guard when she burst into tears.

The emotions had nothing to do with the golf, but the feeling Ko had standing on the podium for her country and family. Ko revealed that her grandmother had died only about a week before the Olympics.

“I just wanted to make my family really proud and my country really proud,” Ko said. “And to be able to win a medal for them, it means so much. Not to me, but to everyone who has been on this journey with me. This is for my grandma.”

Ko, born in South Korea and raised in New Zealand, earned a piece of history, becoming the first golfer, male or female, to win a medal in two Olympics. After being including in the 1900 and 1904 Games, the sport returned to the Olympics in 2016 in Rio, and Ko earned silver behind winner Inbee Park.

That finish five years ago was rather anticlimactic, with Park running away by five shots. This time, Ko started the final round five shots off Korda’s lead but charged with four birdies in her first five holes en route to shooting six-under-par 65. When Korda double-bogeyed the seventh hole, they were tied at the top.

Ko matched Korda with a birdie at the eighth, but she bogeyed the 10th and 11th, and despite four birdies down the stretch, a bogey at the 16th turned out to be the difference between being in a playoff for the gold medal, and one for the silver, which Ko lost to Japan’s Mone Inami with a bogey on their return to 18.

Ko laughingly said that when she finished the 72nd hole, she already thought she was going to get bronze. “I didn’t know I was going to a playoff,” she said. “It would have been great if the color was different. But at the end of the day I was able to win a medal for my country. I’m very proud of it. To say I’m a two-time medalist, I’m very honoured.”

The post Lydia Ko reveals she was playing Olympics in honour of grandmother who recently passed appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

In the latest edition we talk to five of the Middle East’s key golf industry players – panellists all at the Emirates Amateur Golf League’s recent ‘Future of Golf’ forum – to discover where the game goes from here.

There’s little doubt Golf Saudi is playing a pivotal role in the new frontier. We have a report on the new Aramco Team Series after the LET-sanctioned format made its debut in London. We also learn what the 11th hour awarding of the 2021 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship to Dubai is just the start of a golden two year period for the region’s top young players.

Talking of Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, Matthew Brookes explains why random practice trumps beating driver after driver on the range and we delve into the research that will help you break 100, 90 and 80 in no time. And who better to impart his wisdom on flushing your fairway woods than the Swedish Iceman, Henrik Stenson?

All this and much more in the August 2021 edition of Golf Digest Middle East.

The issue is again free to our loyal audience. You can scroll through the ISSUU link provided or download the bumper August 2021 issue FREE to your favourite device for later. Alternatively, pick up a copy at your favourite club. Whatever option you take, we hope you enjoy the read.

The post Get the August 2021 issue of Golf Digest Middle East FREE today! appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Daniel Rapaport
There is not much about the life of a tour pro that a layperson can relate to. Joe Average cannot hit a 200-yard 6-iron or nip a spinner off a tight lie. He has never flown on a private jet. He does not get recognized. The superstar life is, in most contexts, a hyper-specific experience.

And yet, underneath the wealth and fame lie normal people with normal human emotions—like wanting to make your pop’s dream come true. Of course, Xander Schauffele wanted to win an Olympic gold medal for himself. But he really, really wanted to win one for his dad, Stefan, whose own Olympic decathlon aspirations died when his car was struck by a drunk driver.

On Sunday, the younger Schauffele did what his dad never could: He won gold. And he did so in Japan, where his mother grew up and his grandparents still live. An up-and-down par from 98 yards on the final hole capped off a final-round 67, which was good for a one-shot victory over Rory Sabbatini of Slovakia—well, at least recently “of Slovakia”—who closed with a brilliant 61 hours before the leaders headed for the home stretch. C.T. Pan of Chinese Taipei took the bronze after winning a seven-man, four-hole playoff.

“It’s special,” Schauffele said. “That’s a word that’s thrown around a lot, especially for us golfers. I mean it’s so different for us, we’re used to playing for money and we play a normal schedule, and this is every four years and it’s just kind of a different feel to it. And you’re wearing your country’s colours and everyone’s just trying to represent to the best of their ability. So it does have that sort of special and different feel.

“To have my dad here as well is really special. I gave him a hug off the back of the green there. I know this means a lot to him, so I’m just happy to sort of deliver this.”

MORE: The clubs Xander Schauffele used to win Olympic gold

This was quite a day for the tightly-knit Schauffele clan. Stefan is the only golf coach Xander’s ever had. He is a ubiquitous presence at PGA Tour events, often wearing linen shirts and fashionable hats that would play quite well in the Hamptons. The Schauffele boys emanate a sense of California chill—Xander grew up near San Diego—and Xander needed every bit of that calmness on Sunday, when in an instant a stroll to glory morphed into a struggle for survival.

Schauffele began the day with a one-shot lead over local hero Hideki Matsuyama, seeking to cement himself in Japanese lore by adding a home gold to his green jacket. The American played the first five holes in three under and briefly led by as many as four shots before Sabbatini kept on pushing the tempo. He wasn’t the only one; nine of the 60 players in the field shot 65 or better, including a 63 from Collin Morikawa and a 65 from Justin Thomas. This was major championship pressure with John Deere scoring.

MORE: How Rory Sabbatini, born in South Africa and living in South Florida, won silver for … Slovakia

His cushion was down to one as Schauffele stepped to the last par 5 at Kasumigaseki Country Club, the reachable 14th. He fanned his first drive into a forest well right of the fairway. Provisional time. As one does, he over-compensated and badly hooked his re-load. Every golfer’s been there. Your first drive might be lost, and the provisional wasn’t much better. Just like that, a round-busting big number has entered the picture.

Xander Schauffele’s father/swing coach, Stefan, was an aspiring Olympian whose dreams ended after being hit by a drunk driver. Keyur Khamar

Schauffele owes a great deal to whoever found his original ball, for he wouldn’t have the gold medal around his neck if not for that person. With the ball located, Schauffele was able to take an unplayable lie, punch back into play, punch out again into the fairway, then get up-and-down for the best bogey of his life. Still, his lead had fully evaporated, and a swaggering Matsuyama was a single shot behind.

Ultimately, Matsuyama’s chances faded by way of body blows: a three-putt bogey at 15, missing a good birdie look at 16 and missing another at the drivable par-4 17th. After watching Matusyama’s birdie effort miss left on 17, Schauffele poured his right in the centre to reclaim his lead for good over Sabbatini.

MORE: Justin Thomas calls the Olympics ‘the coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of’

Schauffele wasn’t out of the woods yet, though, for his very next shot quite literally found the woods. Schauffele missed well right again on the par-4 18 and then inquired about a drop—he wanted line-of-sight relief from a scoreboard, but the scoreboard was directly behind a whole bunch of trees, so his inquiry was met with an “absolutely not.” (You can’t fault the man for thinking creatively.) Next came a punch out to the fairway, which meant he had to get up-and-down to avoid a playoff with Sabbatini. His third landed well past the pin but spun niftily back to three feet.

“I was trying so hard to just stay calm,” Schauffele said. “Hit a terrible drive on 18, had to make a sort of sloppy par and fortunately hit it close enough to sort of have a high percentage putt at roughly four, five feet. But, man, it was stressful. And I made that putt, and it was just a huge weight lifted off my shoulders and just very relieved and happy, of course.”

Xander Schauffele looks at his prize during the medal ceremony. Chris Trotman

Ah yes, that weight. It’s there because Schauffele has steadily accumulated scar tissue from so many near-misses. His last victory on the PGA Tour came in January 2019, and he’s been candid about how frustrated he’s been at his inability to get the job done. Technically speaking, that victory drought persists, for this was not a PGA Tour event. It was much more than that. Closing the deal to win gold will have Xander Schauffele feeling like he’s ended his runner-up chapter—and Stefan Schauffele finally feeling Olympic glory, even if it’s vicarious in nature.

“I felt like I was out there playing,” Stefan told Golf Channel, holding back tears. “No, I’m not that good. You’re very proud. I think the real moment where the emotions come to the surface will be on the podium, when the anthem plays. Talking about this previously, I got choked up. I know that’s going to be a big moment. Very proud.”

The post What makes Xander Schauffele’s harrowing Olympic win such a golden moment appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Daniel Rapaport
He claims this was never the plan—that his decision to take up Slovakian citizenship was motivated by benevolence, not a shortcut to winning an Olympic medal. Which, after a brilliant Sunday at Kasumigaseki Country Club, he has done. Silver, to be exact. Rory Sabbatini’s 10-under 61 saw him finish one shot behind Xander Schauffele, who got up-and-down from 98 yards on the 18th hole to win the gold for the United States.

“It sounds quite amazing,” Sabbatini said of will a medal. “It doesn’t sound like it belongs to me. But crazy game this sport we play. So somehow found that golden egg today and I managed to get something achieved, which I didn’t was possible after yesterday.”

MORE: What makes Xander Schauffele’s harrowing Olympic win such a golden moment

For Sabbatini, the medal is the culmination of a peculiar journey that started back in 2018. Born and raised in South Africa, the PGA Tour veteran now lives in South Florida and is a U.S. citizen, as well as holding a U.K. passport. So where does Slovakia come into the picture? Sabbbatini got married to a Slovakian woman named Martina Stofanikova. Her cousin, Rastislav Antala, then the vice president of the Slovak Golf Association—he has since been promoted to president—floated the idea to his cousin-in-law.

“To support her, to support our stepson, getting my Slovak citizenship is important to them as well as her getting her U.S. citizenship,” Sabbatini said in January 2019, shortly after he received his Slovakian citizenship. “The added benefit was her cousin is the director of golf development in Slovakia, and we thought this was an opportunity to bring more kids into the game of golf because they really haven’t had exposure on a national stage to follow golf.”

“This decision was never made to play in the Olympics. This decision was made to support my wife and stepson and to open the door for golf development in Slovakia,” he said. “I didn’t even know I would be eligible.”

Indeed, under Olympic rules, an athlete with dual citizenship can which country he represents.

MORE: Justin Thomas calls the Olympics ‘the coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of’

Still, the move was widely seen as a strategic one—Sabbatini, a six-time PGA Tour winner who turned 45 in April, would have a much tougher time qualifying for the South African Olympic team. But Slovakia? The nation has just 9,000 golfers and 26 courses. After Sabbatini, who is ranked No. 204, the highest ranked Slovakian is Petr Vasalek at No. 848. He’d waltz onto the team, which is exactly what happened. It quickly became an easy punchline on Golf Twitter; Brendan Porath, a Golf Digest editor and host of the Shotgun Start podcast, gave him the nickname “the Boy from Bratislava.”

The nickname stuck, but the Slovakia storyline didn’t get much play through the first three rounds in Tokyo. Sabbatini simply wasn’t a factor. He began Sunday seven shots behind the lead and five shots out of the medal contention. He then produced the best round in the (rather short) history of Olympic golf, a 61 with an eagle and 10 birdies—including on the final two holes—to post 17-under 267 and take the clubhouse lead hours before the leaders would finish.

Rory Sabbatini celebrates his closing 61 with his wife/caddie Martina. Chris Trotman

“You know, it’s just, it’s funny, because I was out there today and I kept just trying to remind myself, OK, don’t think ahead, don’t think ahead, just enjoy the moment that you’re in because you don’t know what it’s going to end, just enjoy every hole as it comes,” Sabbatini said. “It just seemed like every time I kind of had a hiccup out there I was like, oh, maybe this is the end of the run, but OK. And then all of a sudden, I kicked back into gear. So it was a lot of fun and it was just one of those rare days that you have on the golf course.”

The round finished with a fitting image: with the ball still a few feet from the hole, Sabbatini began aggressively fist-pumping. After it fell, Martina, his tie to his adopted nation and his caddie this week in Japan, jumped in joy.

MORE: The clubs Xander Schauffele used to win the gold medal at the Olympics

The post How Rory Sabbatini, born in South Africa and living in South Florida, medaled at the Olympics … for Slovakia appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Daniel Rapaport
A number of golf’s superstars have viewed these Olympics as something of an obligation. With no fans and onerous COVID-19 restrictions in place, plenty opted to skip the trip to Tokyo altogether. Only six of the top 20 players in the World Ranking teed it up at Kasumigaseki Country Club. And the ones who did play didn’t sound too excited to be doing so.

And then something funny happened: They went, they tested, they played, and they had a helluva time.

“Being a part of something that’s completely different and bigger than me and even our sport in general, that’s a pretty cool thing,” Rory McIlroy said Friday. “So I didn’t know if this was going to be my only Olympics that I play or whatever and I’m already looking forward to Paris [Olympic host in 2024].”

On Sunday, despite not medaling, Justin Thomas gave a similarly glowing review of his experience.

“It’s just, it’s so different,” Thomas said after a six-under 65 to wrap up his week. “It was cooler than I thought it was. I’m more proud of being here than I thought I would be.

MORE: What makes Xander Schauffele’s harrowing Olympic win such a golden moment

“I thought I would be proud, but the first day or two I immediately found out that this is like the coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of. The Ryder Cup is cool, the Presidents Cup’s cool, but this is just so different. I grew up watching the Ryder Cup, the Presidents Cup, the majors, and never grew up watching this, so no one was ever able to relay or say how it felt being an Olympian, especially a golfer. And so it was really—I was never hitting putts as an 8-, 10-year-old on the putting green to win the Olympics and win a gold medal. So I think when you don’t have the ability to dream something, when you get here it’s, it can sometimes just take you by surprise and this definitely exceeded that.”

Collin Morikawa concurred.

“One of the best experiences of your life,” the Open Championship winner said after a 63 on Sunday catapulted him into medal contention. “I’m walking away whether I get a medal or not, I’m an Olympian and that’s what I said from the beginning of the week. But I think what today brought out of me was more than just playing for myself I was playing for our country and I was able to fight and dig deep.”

Here’s to hoping these wholehearted endorsements of Olympic Golf—and an eventual return to normalcy—result in a more star-studded field in Paris 2024.

MORE: The clubs Xander Schauffele used to win the gold medal at the Olympics

The post Justin Thomas calls Olympics ‘the coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of’ appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

A Japanese golfer will hit the opening tee shot of the 2021 Olympic men’s golf tournament. Just not the Japanese golfer you might have expected.

The International Golf Federation has given the honour to Rikuya Hoshino when the men’s event begins on Thursday at Kasumigaseki Country Club at 7:30 a.m. local time (6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the U.S.). Hoshino will be playing in the threesome with Thomas Pieters of Belgium and Sepp Straka of Austria.

Meanwhile, the other Japanese men’s golf in the field—Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama—goes off at 8:41 a.m. local time (7:41 p.m. Wednesday in the U.S.) alongside Australia’s Marc Leishman and Canada’s Corey Conners.

As for the four Americans competing in the men’s event, Xander Schauffele tees off at 7:14 p.m. Wednesday night U.S. time, with Justin Thomas following him at 7:25 p.m. Collin Morikawa goes out at 9:25 p.m. in arguably the marquee pairing of the first two days as he plays Rory McIlroy and Sungjae Im. Patrick Reed is last off for the Americans (9:36 p.m.)

Here are the complete tee times for Rounds 1 and 2:

ROUND 1 (Japan time/EDT)

7:30 a.m./6:30 p.m.
Rikuya HOSHINO, Japan
Thomas PIETERS, Belgium
Sepp STRAKA, Austria

7:41 a.m./6:41 p.m.
Adri ARNAUS, Spain
Sami VALIMAKI, Finland
Matthias SCHWAB, Austria

7:52 a.m./6:52 p.m.
Sebastian MUNOZ, Colombia
Henrik NORLANDER, Sweden
Joachim B. HANSEN, Denmark

8:03 a.m./7:03 p.m.
Carlos ORTIZ, Mexico
Antonie ROZNER, France
Guido MIGLIOZZI, Italy

8:14 a.m./7:14 p.m.
Xander SCHAUFFELE, USA
Abraham ANCER, Mexico
Christiaan BEZUIDENHOUT, South Africa

8:25 a.m./7:25 p.m.
Justin THOMAS, USA
Jaoquin NIEMANN, Chile
Paul CASEY, Great Britain

8:41 a.m./7:41 p.m.
Hideki MATSUYAMA, Japan
Marc LEISHMAN, Australia
Corey CONNERS, Canada

8:52 a.m./7:52 p.m.
C.T. PAN, Chinese Taipei
Ryan FOX, New Zealand
Anirban LAHIRI, India

9:03 a.m./8:03 p.m.
Hurly LONG, Germany
Yechun YUAN, China
Gavin GREEN, Malasya

9:14 a.m./8:14 p.m.
K.K. JOHANNESSEN, Norway
Adrian MERONK, Poland
Gunn CHAROENKUL, Thailand

9:25 a.m./8:25 p.m.
Rory SABBATINI, Slovakia
Mito PEREIRA, Chile
Renato PARATORE, Italy

9:36 a.m./8:36 p.m.
Jhonattan VEGAS, Venezuela
Thomas DETRY, Belgium
Kalle SAMOOJA, Finland

9:47 a.m./8:47 p.m.
Mackenzie HUGHES, Canada
Alex NOREN, Sweden
Jazz JANEWATTANANOND, Thailand

10:03 a.m./9:03 p.m.
Rasmus HOJGAARD, Denmark
Romain LANGASQUE, France
Si Woo Kim, South Korea

10:14 a.m./9:14 p.m.
Viktor HOVLAND, Norway
Cameron SMITH, Australia
Garrick HIGGO, South Africa

10:25 a.m./9:25 p.m.
Collin MORIKAWA, USA
Rory McILROY, Ireland
Sungjae IM, South Korea

10:36 a.m./9:36 p.m.
Patrick REED, USA
Tommy FLEETWOOD, Great Britain
Shane LOWRY, Ireland

10:47 a.m./9:47 p.m.
Rafael CAMPOS, Puerto Rico
Max KIEFFER, Germany
Ashun WU, China

10:58 a.m./9:58 p.m.
Fabrizio ZANOTTI, Paraguay
Juvic PAGUNSAN, Philippines
Scott VINCENT, Zimbabwe

11:09 a.m./10:09 p.m.
Udayan MANE, India
Ondrej LIESER, Czech Republic
Jorge CAMPILLO, Spain

ROUND 2

7:30 a.m./6:30 p.m.
Rory SABBATINI, Slovakia
Mito PEREIRA, Chile
Renato PARATORE, Italy

7:41 a.m./6:41 p.m.
Jhonattan VEGAS, Venezuela
Thomas DETRY, Belgium
Kalle SAMOOJA, Finland

7:52 a.m./6:52 p.m.
Mackenzie HUGHES, Canada
Alex NOREN, Sweden
Jazz JANEWATTANANOND, Thailand

8:03 a.m./7:03 p.m.
Rasmus HOJGAARD, Denmark
Romain LANGASQUE, France
Si Woo Kim, South Korea

8:14 a.m./7:14 p.m.
Viktor HOVLAND, Norway
Cameron SMITH, Australia
Garrick HIGGO, South Africa

8:25 a.m./7:25 p.m.
Collin MORIKAWA, USA
Rory McILROY, Ireland
Sungjae IM, South Korea

8:41 a.m./7:41 p.m.
Patrick REED, USA
Tommy FLEETWOOD, Great Britain
Shane LOWRY, Ireland

8:52 a.m./7:52 p.m.
Rafael CAMPOS, Puerto Rico
Max KIEFFER, Germany
Ashun WU, China

9:03 a.m./8:03 p.m.
Fabrizio ZANOTTI, Paraguay
Juvic PAGUNSAN, Philippines
Scott VINCENT, Zimbabwe

9:14 a.m./8:14 p.m.
Udayan MANE, India
Ondrej LIESER, Czech Republic
Jorge CAMPILLO, Spain

9:25 a.m./8:25 p.m.
Rikuya HOSHINO, Japan
Thomas PIETERS, Belgium
Sepp STRAKA, Austria

9:36 a.m./8:36 p.m.
Adri ARNAUS, Spain
Sami VALIMAKI, Finland
Matthias SCHWAB, Austria

9:47 a.m./8:47 p.m.
Sebastian MUNOZ, Colombia
Henrik NORLANDER, Sweden
Joachim B. HANSEN, Denmark

10:03 a.m./9:03 p.m.
Carlos ORTIZ, Mexico
Antonie ROZNER, France
Guido MIGLIOZZI, Italy

10:14 a.m./9:14 p.m.
Xander SCHAUFFELE, USA
Abraham ANCER, Mexico
Christiaan BEZUIDENHOUT, South Africa

10:25 a.m./9:25 p.m.
Justin THOMAS, USA
Jaoquin NIEMANN, Chile
Paul CASEY, Great Britain

10:36 a.m./9:36 p.m.
Hideki MATSUYAMA, Japan
Marc LEISHMAN, Australia
Corey CONNERS, Canada

10:47 a.m./9:47 p.m.
C.T. PAN, Chinese Taipei
Ryan FOX, New Zealand
Anirban LAHIRI, India

10:58 a.m./9:58 p.m.
Hurly LONG, Germany
Yechun YUAN, China
Gavin GREEN, Malasya

11:09 a.m./10:09 p.m.
K.K. JOHANNESSEN, Norway
Adrian MERONK, Poland
Gunn CHAROENKUL, Thailand

The post Tokyo Olympics men’s tee times: Starting times and pairings for the first and second round appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Christopher Powers
With each passing day, golf in the Olympics gets more and more depressing. The latest hit came with news of World No. 1 Jon Rahm and 2020 U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau being forced to withdraw after they each tested positive for COVID. That leaves just three of the top 10 players in the world in the field, and just seven of the top 20. “Bummer” is definitely the operative word here.

But if you’re not a Negative Nancy or a Debbie Downer or some sort of gender-neutral depressed person, you can still see the positives in this Olympics, like the stories of Si Woo Kim and Sungjae Im, or the fact that Captain America himself, Patrick Reed, is replacing DeChambeau, and is more-than likely as excited as he’s ever been to don the red, white and blue.

Tommy Fleetwood, who is among the players in the field this week, might be the only one more excited than Reed. The team Great Britain member proved as much in a tweet he sent just past 6 p.m. local time in Tokyo, 5 a.m. ET:

Please excuse my language but I’d just like to say that I F*@%ING LOVE THE OLYMPICS!!!! #olympics #TeamGB

— Tommy Fleetwood (@TommyFleetwood1) July 26, 2021

Did Fleetwood come off a great range session before sending this? Does he really love the course? Is the Olympics experience that awesome? Did he start drinking at happy hour, 5 p.m.-ish? Who knows, but what we do know is this is extremely refreshing to see amidst all the negative Olympics news we seem to see every other hour. Between 3v3 basketball, that crazy Aussie swimming coach and this Fleetwood tweet, maybe the Olympics are very lowkey back.

The post While everyone else is down on golf in the Olympics, Tommy Fleetwood is here to say that he (expletive) LOVES IT appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Ryan Herrington
A second major champion in men’s golf has tested positive for COVID-19 and won’t be able to compete in this week’s Olympic men’s tournament.

The International Golf Federation announced on Sunday that Jon Rahm was in the midst of the final testing protocol before leaving for Tokyo when he tested positive. According to the Spanish Olympic Committee, this was Rahm’s third test taken before travelling. Because of the positive test, the reigning U.S. Open champion and top-ranked golfer in the world will not be able to compete for Spain.

The news on Rahm came roughly six hours after the IGF announced that Bryson DeChambeau of the U.S. had tested positive and would have to withdraw from the Olympics as well.

Rahm’s positive test comes less than two months after the 26-year-old Spaniard tested positive for COVID while playing in the PGA Tour’s Memorial Tournament. Rahm was in the tour’s testing protocol at the time, testing negative on a daily basis and thus allowed to compete in the tournament. He had built up six-stroke lead at the end of the third round when the PGA Tour informed him that he had tested positive and would be forced to withdraw from the event.

Rahm subsequently was vaccinated and came back with negative test results ahead of the U.S. Open two weeks later, was cleared to play by the USGA under its health protocols, and went on win his first career major at Torrey Pines.

While the U.S. said it would replace DeChambeau with another American, Patrick Reed, the Spanish Olympic Committee announced it would not have a replacement for Rahm due to the fact it did not have “adequate time” to find a replacement and comply with the necessary health protocols required. Spain, thus, will only be represented only by Adri Arnaus in the men’s competition, which begins Thursday at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Kasahata, Saitama, Japan, about 35 miles northwest of downtown Tokyo.

To replace Rahm, the IGF stated that it will use its Late Replacement Policy to find the next available athlete, but did not say who that golfer is at this time.

MORE: Two golfers serve as flagbearers during Opening Ceremony in Tokyo

The post Jon Rahm joins Bryson DeChambeau in withdrawing from the Olympics after positive COVID test appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Ryan Herrington
Gaby Lopez, one of just two Mexican golfers ever to win on the LPGA Tour, has been thinking about the Tokyo Olympics for some time now.

“That’s my ultimate goal, being able to peak at that week,” Lopez told Golf Channel earlier this year. “That’s what my schedule is going to be played around, being rested, being prepared, in time to play well that week.”

Even if Lopez doesn’t claim a medal when the women’s tournament is contested in two weeks, she’ll have memories of the Tokyo Games that will last a lifetime. On Friday, Lopez, 27, had the honor of carrying her country’s flag during the Opening Ceremony along with diver Rommel Pacheco.

While Japan National Stadium, where the festivities took place, had no spectators for the occasion due to COVID-19 restrictions, the moment was still a big one for Lopez.

“It’s a huge honour to be able to represent my country in women’s golf in Mexico, which isn’t a huge sport,” Lopez said earlier this year. “To just inspire little girls and [for them to] see what a golfer and little girl can do to achieve their dreams, that’s going to be why I play golf and that’s what it means to me and my life and my career.”

This isn’t Lopez first Olympic experience; she competed in the Rio Games in 2016, finishing T-31.

Apparently, Lopez has been considered a likely flagbearer for Mexico for some time now. After her victory at the LPGA’s Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions in January 2020, she said she was approached by the president of the Mexican Olympic Committee about the possibility of serving in the role that summer. Of course, the Games were postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lopez wasn’t the only golfer who served as a flag bearer during the Opening Ceremony. Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti, a two-time European Tour, carried his country’s flag along with tennis player Veronica Cepede. Zanotti competed in the Olympics in 2016, finishing T-15 at the Rio Games. In 2016, LPGA Tour pro Julieta Granada carried the flag for Paraguay.

Matthias Hangst
Flag bearers Veronica Cepede and Fabrizio Zanotti (left) of Team Paraguay during the Olympic Opening Ceremony.

The post Mexico’s Gaby Lopez, Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti carry country’s flags during Olympic Opening Ceremony appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

THE TIGER KING pic.twitter.com/4h6wrcV1Oy

— Mister Morris (@mistermorris55) March 23, 2020

Who are we kidding? Anyone reading this has already watched it. Well, except my parents. Seriously, give it a try, guys. What else do you have to do? Well, other than read The Grind, of course. We may not have Joe Exotic, but we’ve got a quirky cast of characters in their own right and some unusual plotlines as well. So let’s dive in.

WE’RE BUYING

Michael Jordan’s playground: New playground, that is. Man, I used to love watching that VHS (dating myself!), but now MJ has an actual, sprawling playground with his own golf course called The Grove XXIII (get it?). Our Derek Duncan did a story on the Hobe Soundtrack and it looks absolutely spectacular:

LC Lambrecht

Also looking spectacular? That ESPN documentary on Jordan’s Bulls, which has now had its release date pushed up because everyone begged for it. Turns out, peer pressure can be a good thing!

Larry David: First of all, have you watched the new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm? It’s utterly brilliant. So good, in fact, I’m considering moving it into a tie with Seinfeld. . . but anyway, Larry is doing good things off-camera as well like setting up a fund for Riviera’s caddies during these tough times. The best part? He did it with his friend, Lloyd Braun. Meaning there’s actually a real Lloyd Braun!

OK, so that’s not actually the best part. The best part is the money for the caddies, but you get the point. Well done, LD.

Calvin Peete: I’m not sure why, but a few people were discussing Peete’s driving accuracy on Twitter and it caught my attention. Look at these stats!

Calvin Peete hit 81.5% of fairways from 1980-1990. That's an average of 11.4 out of 14 per round.

His driving accuracy rankings from 1980-1990:

1980: 2nd
1981: 1st
1982: 1st
1983: 1st
1984: 1st
1985: 1st
1986: 1st
1987: 1st
1988: 1st
1989: 1st
1990: 1st https://t.co/5MkjRquggT

— Sean Martin (@PGATOURSMartin) March 25, 2020

The dude hit more than 81 per cent of his fairways for over a decade?! That’s nearly Michael Jordan’s career free-throw percentage! Amazing. Also, my grandpa (RIP) always said he was a big fan of Calvin (RIP as well) who played before I started watching golf. So yeah, he’s way up in my book, too.

WE’RE SELLING

More postponements/cancellations: Another week, more moving parts when it comes to golf’s interrupted schedule, many of which were reported by our Joel Beall and Brian Wacker. The British Open could be heading for September, the U.S. Open could be moving to October (and moving locations), and the Masters might be in November now. Actually, assuming life gets back to normal, that sounds like a pretty sweet plan. Fingers crossed.

Mass DQs: As long as golf continues to be played somewhere, there will continue to be rules violations. Even on the Outlaw Tour, where you might think the rule of law wouldn’t apply. Turns out, the Outlaw Tour has a Sheriff! True story!

Sheriff out! Love it. But seriously, this situation sucks, especially for the 14 players who plunked down as much as $875 to enter the tournament only to be disqualified after a scorecard mix-up that caused them to play from a LONGER yardage. Ouch.

Corona-aided aces: With golf courses that are still opened raising cups to help prevent the spread of the disease, this is a valid question:

https://twitter.com/cfenmagic/status/1244045815267700747

But, sorry, the answer is no. Call me the Hole-in-One Sheriff.

ON TAP

The PGA Tour heads to was supposed to be at the Valero Texas Open, AKA that event that now precedes the Masters even though it’s not at all a tune-up for the Masters like the Shell Houston Open was. Regardless, it’s safe to say the Valero Texas Open has never been missed this much.

Random tournament fact: Charley Hoffman might miss this event more than anyone considering he has a win, two seconds and a third. In fact, PGATour.com put him No. 1 on an all-time Valero Texas Open power rankings list. Yep, these are tough times for creating golf content. We applaud the effort.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

— Gambling isn’t allowed/encouraged at MJ’s golf course: 1 MILLION-to-1 odds
—The Masters won’t be played in 2020: 3-to-1 odds (Actual odds… gulp…)
—I will make a Corona-aided ace and not be allowed to count it now: LOCK

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Scary, devastating scenes from Davis Love III’s St. Simons Island (Ga.) house burning down:

Sad news from St Simons Island.
Glynn County Fire chief says Davis Love III home was destroyed by fire early this morning. No injuries. pic.twitter.com/VMAZgAp8Ao

— RICHARD ROGERS (@RRNEWS12) March 27, 2020

Thankfully, no one was hurt.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

A bored Joe Buck asked for people to send him random videos to do play-by-play to and Justin Thomas responded with one of him fixing his hair. The result was superb:

Here’s my buddy @pgatour player @JustinThomas34. Is this the most captivating video? No. Is it relatable to 75% of the men that will see it? Yes. Yes, it is. Justin, we can DM about who to go see. Also, I did the @JordanSpieth line per your request so now make a donation! pic.twitter.com/bwzAhCgPyB

— Joe Buck (@Buck) March 28, 2020

I lost it on the “Jordan Spieth pulldown” line. Well done all around.

ARCHIVE VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

A little over four years ago, Nicolas Colsaerts smoked a 3-iron through a sliding door in his hotel room. It was an impressive—and dangerous—shot that went viral, but we only just found out how dangerous it actually was. Turns out, Colsaerts’ first attempt didn’t make it through!

After inundated requests from the archives I present – The famous @Coelsss 3am, 3 iron first attempt – Never seen before – @IMGAcademy @LukeKerrDineen @LukeDonald @IanJamesPoulter @JustinRose99 @Bryce_bunkered @GolfMonthly pic.twitter.com/SASuriqSum

— Kevin Craggs (@kevincraggsgolf) March 27, 2020

As with the Love house fire, thankfully, no one was hurt.

THIS WEEK IN DUSTIN JOHNSON-PAULINA GRETZKY PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION PUTTING

If Dustin and Paulina are any indication, we are going to see unprecedented good putting when this is all over. pic.twitter.com/RjS2rMEatq

— Alex Myers (@AlexMyers3) March 26, 2020

You know what they say: The couple that putts together, stays together. But seriously, it seems like everyone from tour pros to colleagues have been practising their putting during this crazy time. I should probably get on that. Or exercise. Or just do something other than eat Hershey’s Kisses.

THIS WEEK IN PHIL BEING PHIL

A few days after I knocked the five-time major champ for being too quiet during this boring time to be a sports fan, Mickelson delivered some potentially amazing news on the content front:

Working on it

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) March 30, 2020

A Tiger-Phil rematch? Sign me up! But could this really be a possibility?

I don’t tease. I’m kinda a sure thing

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) March 30, 2020

Not a tease, that is, unless you count all those U.S. Opens! Anyway, let’s hope this “sure thing” comes through. Whatever the format. Whoever the participants. Please. Give us anything.

THIS WEEK IN OTHER TOUR PROS BEING QUARANTINED

Soren Kjeldsen figured out a way to have some family fun while poking fun at Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and others with these impersonations:

Søren Kjeldsen's home impressions ?

Thanks to Kjeldsen Productions (his kids) for filming. pic.twitter.com/mi7xymnLRJ

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) March 25, 2020

Good stuff. Also, if that’s all part of Soren’s backyard, it looks like he’s invested his career earnings very well. And in case anyone was wondering if Rory is still good at golf:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-XT0ImlzMl/?utm_source=ig_embed

Yep, Rory is still good at golf.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Excuse my French but this shit is going to make us treasure so much down the road guys. ??

— Eddie Pepperell (@PepperellEddie) March 30, 2020

You’re excused, Eddie. And completely correct.

THIS AND THAT

Sunny Kim shot a final-round 59(!) to win his 67th(!) Minor League Golf Tour event. Not sure how the MLGT stacks up to the Outlaw Tour, but that is mighty impressive. . . . The 2020 Olympics has been officially postponed to 2021. In other words, Justin Rose can tote his gold medal around for another year. . . . And finally, Mark Calcavecchia played the role of hairdresser for his wife:

@MarkCalc the hair dresser. #domyroots #nograyhere ??‍? #StayAtHome #Quarantinewcalcs pic.twitter.com/6nzjbXijYF

— Brenda Calcavecchia (@brendacalc) March 30, 2020

You’d think a golfer would have a lighter touch.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Will they still be called the 2020 Olympics?
Are we about to enter the greatest putting era ever?
How long can I last before my wife has to cut my hair?

The post Michael Jordan’s (new) playground, Phil Mickelson’s big tease, and Joe Buck roasts Justin Thomas’ hairline appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.