SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France (AP) — Jason Day still regrets skipping the Olympics when golf returned to the program in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. Day was the No. 1 player in the world at the time and cited concerns over the Zika virus.
“Looking back on it, I should have just sucked it up and gone down and played,” the Australian said Tuesday at the Paris Olympics. “I think in that case it would have been a great experience for me to go down there and represent something that’s bigger than you.”
Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson, among the top three in the world, also withdrew from Rio and never made it to another Olympics. Day had reason to think he might not get a chance, either. He failed to qualify for the Tokyo Games in 2021 while coping with injuries and a downturn in form.
Day was determined to get back.
“Granted, we’re from a pretty small country. It’s not like if I was representing America — it’s very difficult because there’s so many good players there,” he said. “I just felt that if I could just play half-decent at some point, I would be able to get back on the team.”
Day twice referenced “burnout” when he spoke about missing the 2016 Olympics. He was at his dominant best, winning eight times in a two-year stretch and holding the No. 1 ranking for 47 consecutive weeks.
“I don’t think it was necessarily from winning too much. It’s more the other stuff that comes with it,” Day said. “The signing of autographs. The pulling of different directions from your team, your family, your coaches. Because everyone is pulling at you. After a while, you can only give out so much of yourself.”
Day said he had a tough time turning down requests.
“And that’s ultimately what ended up having me burn out pretty quick,” he said.
First tee honors
Victor Perez of France will be hitting the opening tee shot in the Paris Games, an honor the Olympics gives to a player from the host country.
Rikuya Hoshino hit the opening tee shot in the Tokyo Games, while Adilson da Silva of Brazil hit the first shot at the Rio de Janeiro Games when golf returned to the program in 2016.
Scottie’s gold locket
Two-time Masters champion Scottie Scheffler talks about some “cool stuff” he keeps alongside the trophies in his golf room at home. That includes one item from the Masters that he couldn’t describe beyond saying it was a “little gold thing.”
That would be the gold locket, which doesn’t get mentioned as much as a green jacket or the silver trophy handed out at the Augusta National clubhouse.
“When you win the Masters, you get like this little thing that signifies that you’re a member of the club,” Scheffler said. “You only get it once, and so that sits in the room and it’s something that a lot of people don’t know about. It kind of just chills in a little corner.”
How big?
“Small,” he said, using his finger to try to illustrate the dimension. “It’s exactly how you think Augusta National would do it. Very simple, elegant, beautiful. Just tasteful, all the right things. Small, simple and means a lot.”
The three-sided locket is shaped like the Masters logo — the continental U.S. with a flag in Augusta, Georgia. Open it once and there’s a silhouette of the clubhouse inside. Open it again and there’s a silhouette of club co-founder Bobby Jones. On the back is the winning player’s initials.
Masters champions are presented the gold locket at the Masters Club dinner the following year. Some of them, like Ben Crenshaw, have given it to their wives. Scheffler, for now, has his chilling in the corner of his office.
LPGA Boost
The LPGA Tour has a new tournament in the Boston area this year and a new sponsor that is raising the perks before the inaugural event starts.
The FM Championship, which starts Aug. 29 at the TPC Boston, added $300,000 to the purse to bring it to $3.8 million. The five-year deal with Rhode Island-based insurance firm FM is for the prize fund to increase annually until it reaches $5 million in 2028.
The $3.8 million purse is the largest on the LPGA except for the five majors and the CME Group Tour Championship.
FM, formerly known as FM Global until a brand change two weeks ago, already has said it would offer free hotel accommodations to the players. It also is providing a $1,000 stipend to anyone who misses the cut.
“We can’t think of a better way to celebrate our new brand, our partnership with the LPGA and the return of women’s professional golf to New England than by investing in additional support for the incredible athletes of the LPGA Tour,” said David Johnson, senior vice president at FM.
Western Amateur on TV
The Western Amateur, the third-oldest amateur championship in golf, is celebrating its 122nd edition by getting some TV time.
ESPN+ is providing live streaming from Moraine Country Club in Dayton, Ohio, starting with the round of 16 on Friday. Subscribers can watch on the ESPN app, the website and connected devices.
“We’re proud to be elevating our flagship amateur championship, providing a bigger stage for the elite players who compete for one of the most coveted titles in golf,” said John Kaczkowski, president and CEO of the Western Golf Association.
The Western Amateur dates to 1899. Only the British Amateur (1885) and U.S. Amateur (1895) are older. Past champions include Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Curtis Strange.
Divots
Hideki Matsuyama understands plenty of English and is capable of delivering a few answers in English — albeit short answers — without waiting for the interpreter. Asked if he liked French food or if he brought his own chef, Matsuyama quickly replied, “Chef.” His intepreter at the Olympics added, “That was an easy one.” … Jhonattan Vegas was the fourth player this year to end more than six years without winning on the PGA Tour. He won the 3M Open on Sunday, which gets him into the Masters next year for the first time since 2018. … Only six times since 2010 has a player made triple bogey or worse in the first round and gone on to win a PGA Tour event. Rory McIlroy has done it three times.
Stat of the week
Lydia Ko is the only player to win medals in golf at the last two Olympics — the silver in Rio de Janeiro and the bronze in Tokyo.
Final word
“I always felt like major for golf is more important because we have not really grown up with the Olympics. After a few days in the Olympic Village, the opening ceremony in Paris with all this crowd in front of the Eiffel Tower and all the great moments we spent the last few days, it really feels like a gold medal would be now ranked higher than a major for me.” — Matthieu Pavon of France.
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