There is a growing groundswell of opinion to abandon the concept of stroke-play when golf returns to the Olympics in 2016 and 2020.

Sixty players, both men and women, will tee-up over 72 holes on the Gil Hanse designed course in Rio de Janeiro as golf ends a 112-year wait in again beoming an Olympic sport.

However there is criticism with the intended format of the event and with many of the game’s top players calling for a format other than what takes place for all but one event each year on both the European and PGA Tour schedule.

Most want to see a format that will see Olympic golf event stand apart from the run-of-the-mill Tour events, and ensure the reward of either a gold, silver or bronze medal is special.

Stewart Cink, who captured the 2009 Open Championship, is a member of the PGA Tour’s Players Committee.

Stewart Cink excited at the 2010 Ryder Cup but hardly over the moon about the format of the 2016 Olympics. (Photo - Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)

“I care about golf being back in the Olympics, but I didn’t have a strong opinion either way but then I’m glad golf will be part of the Olympics  because it will bring respect to the game,” he said.

“What I am concerned about is the way they’re going to format it.

“A 72-hole stroke-play tournament doesn’t lend itself that well to the medal race.  As we all know who are involved with golf, fourth place, sixth place, eighth place are really good showings.

“I almost think a long driving contest lends itself better to a medal, where can have preliminaries and heats and guys are going for the gold like a sprint.

“In golf, when you have 72 holes, it’s hard to be excited about it.”

Cink, who was commenting in the Beacon Journal newspaper, also expressed concern golfers being prohibited from displaying their sponsors’ logos during the Olympic Games, and along with the fact there will be no prize money.

“I’m sure Nike would love to have swooshes all over the Olympics, but they’re not going to get that,” said Cink.

“What also bothers me is that chance for very high world ranked players may say, ‘No, thanks’, I’ll pass’.  Then golf looks like a bunch of spoiled brats, ‘We won’t play unless we get paid.’

“So there are a lot of dangers.  That’s why I was not strongly in favour or against it.”

And further in the article, Jim Furyk, who is also on the PGA Tour’s Players Committee panel, believes winning a gold medal at golf will never be as good as capturing a Major Championship.

“I don’t believe it means more to the NBA players to win a gold medal at the Olympics than it does to win the NBA Championship, no matter what country you’re from,” he said.

“I believe Wimbledon is more important that the Olympics to the tennis players.

“That being the case, I really don’t want to see that as much as I want to see swimming and track and field.  We have Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, this is the pinnacle of their sport.

“Anything to do with the Olympics, that how they are judged.  To me that’s what makes great theatre.”

However fellow American Hunter Mahan, who will be aged 34 in 2016, is thrilled at the opportunity of representing his country in the Olympics.

“It would be incredible and to see the athletes on TV, you have so much appreciation for people who put so much work into something that happens only every four years,” he said.

“I don’t think winning a gold medal would actually understand what it means.

“You see when an athlete gets to represent his country they have a great understanding of what it means to be an American.  It’s very over-whelming to think about it.

“I hope to make the team.  That will be part of everyone’s goals that year.”

Aside from Mahan’s patriotic comments, organisers need to revisit the intended 72-hole format of the 2016 Olympics and come up with something other than stroke-play.

If not, the Olympic Games will just fade into another event on either the 2016 European or PGA schedule.

MEANTIME –

With the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics to be staged in August it will mean a revamping of schedules both in Europe and the States.

As well, 2016 is a Ryder Cup year.

This week’s WGC – Bridgestone Invitational, always staged in August, will be staged earlier and it will involve moving the date the PGA Championship is played.

The 2016 FedEx Cup Playoff Series will be played after the Olympics.

“It’s going to be a pretty hectic schedule in 2016,” said the PGA’S Ty Votaw.