Gold medallists Jacobs, Subban say golfers belong at Olympic Games

MONTREAL – Canadian Olympic gold medallists visiting the RBC Canadian Open this week were all for having golfers playing for gold at the Summer Games.

Golf will become an Olympic sport at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janiero, and top players like Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have said they’d love to be there.

But detractors question whether it should be considered a game rather than a sport, as some top golfers, although not many any more, are not the fittest-looking athletes.

“Golf is definitely a sport, just like tennis deserves to be in the Olympics,” said curler Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. “I can’t wait till there’s golf at the Olympics.

“I will definitely tune in to that, mainly because I’m a huge golf fan. If the elite golfers are playing, I am certainly a fan and would love to watch.”

Curling faced some of the same questions when it was added to the Winter Games at Nagano, Japan in 1998.

“Golf’s more difficult than people think,” said Jacobs. “It takes a lot of focus and patience, maybe very similar to curling.”

Hockey player P.K. Subban of the Montreal Canadiens also gave the thumbs up to Olympic golf.

“I started watching Tiger Woods and what he did for the sport,” said Subban. “Watching him take a sport that was a gentleman’s game, and it still is, but to add that element of excitement to it.

“I think golf’s considered one of the best sports and a lot of people enjoy watching it, so if it is a part of the Olympics, I know I’ll watch.”