Adam Scott doesn’t think Olympics should go on


Adam Scott was one of the first golfers eligible to play in the Olympics to opt out of the Tokyo Games. And as the Games are set to begin at the end of next week, he has no regrets. Scott, in fact, believes the Olympics shouldn’t take place at all this year.

“Definitely no second thoughts about it,’’ Scott said in advance of the British Open, which begins with Thursday’s opening round at Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, England. “It’s questionable really whether [the Olympics] should go ahead, an event of that scale. The fan situation is not good at the moment. I don’t think certain parts of the world understand the fear that the Japanese are experiencing at the moment. They’re not as advanced vaccination wise as some other areas. You have to question whether it’s really a responsible decision to go ahead.

“But that’s not really why I’m not going anyway. I’ve been home seven weeks so far this year, and it’s hard to justify another week away.’’

Scott also skipped the 2016 Games when golf returned to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Adam Scott of Australia plays his shot from the first tee during a practice round ahead of The 149th Open at Royal St George’s Golf Club
Adam Scott was one of the first golfers to opt out of the Olympics.
Getty Images

This week is Scott’s first major championship as a 40-year-old. He said watching Phil Mickelson win the PGA Championship at age 50 in May gave him “motivation.’’

“From a distance, I’ve been able to see the effort he’s put into his body physically the last few years to keep him out contending, so it certainly can be done,’’ Scott said. “There are always exceptions to the rules like Vijay Singh and Steve Stricker, who really, you could argue, played their best golf in their 40s. I certainly feel like with where everything sits, the big picture for me at the moment, I think that the best stuff can still come.’’


Scott, who calls himself a big tennis fan, loved that fellow Aussie Ash Barty won the Wimbledon women’s singles title last weekend.

“Like everybody in Australia, I’m a huge fan of Ash,’’ Scott said. “She’s brilliant. She’s having a great year, too. To win Wimbledon, it’s like winning The Open or the Masters, isn’t it, for a golfer? It feels like that. So, it is incredibly significant. She played great, and it would be fun to keep that Aussie theme going and kind of take Wimbledon away from the U.K., and The Open trophy.’’


Jon Rahm gained the No. 1 world ranking when he won the U.S. Open last month, unseating Dustin Johnson. Last week, thanks to the complicated Official World Golf Ranking system, Johnson regained the No. 1 spot, though he didn’t even play, while Rahm finished seventh at the Scottish Open.

Johnson has played once since the U.S. Open, finishing in a tie for 25th at the Travelers Championship.

“We didn’t talk about it,’’ Johnson said of he and Rahm about the rankings flip. “I mean, the rankings, they’re tough to figure out. Obviously, if you play well, you get to No. 1. I need to continue to play well if I want to stay there. Obviously, Jon has been playing really well lately. I need to step up my game a little bit.’’

For Rahm, he said his overwhelming emotion of winning the U.S. Open, his first career major victory, was relief.

“I did have a sense of relief after winning the first major,’’ he said. “I felt like for the better part of five years, all I heard is ‘major, major, major’ just because I was playing good golf, as if it was easy to win a major championship.

“But the fact that you are expected to win one means nothing, but you’re playing good golf, so a bit of relief in that sense, but it doesn’t really change. There’s still the next one to win, so I still come with the same level of excitement obviously and willingness to win.’’


Brooks Koepka was at Royal St. George’s as a spectator for the 2003 Open Championship, with his mother and brother, Chase.

“I came over here when I was a little kid, watched Ben [Curtis] win,’’ Koepka said. “Me and my brother and my mom came. I must have been like 10 years old or something [actually 13]. We got the opportunity to come over here and play St. Andrews, Carnoustie, come watch I think the final round of the Open.

“It’s kind of funny, I think with about three holes left, I remember Thomas took a few out of the bunker, and I think Ben was maybe a group or two behind him, but I ended up falling asleep right in the little pavilion to the right of 18 and didn’t even see the finish. I remember getting yelled at by my mom — ‘I didn’t bring you over here to fall asleep’ kind of deal.’’

US golfer Brooks Koepka (L) and his caddie Ricky Elliott (R) walk down the 2nd fairway during a practice round for The 149th British Open Golf Championship at Royal St George's,
Brooks Koepka (l) has fond memories as a fan at Royal St. George’s.
Getty Images

Koepka, who has the best combined score to par at major championships since 2016 by a lot (he’s 84-under par in that span, followed by Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele at 21-under par), conceded his performances at the British Open haven’t been great — and he offered a reason for that.

“I probably haven’t played my best over here,’’ he said. “I think over the last couple years, I don’t want to say it’s been a distraction, but I’ve won the PGA or the U.S. Open before, and I’ve enjoyed those weeks after a little too much.’’

.

Laisser un commentaire

Votre adresse e-mail ne sera pas publiée. Les champs obligatoires sont indiqués avec *

*