Irish Olympian Padraig Harrington believes the game’s current crop of high-profile players who elected to skip the Rio Games will rue their decision to miss out on the Olympic experience.

“The players who are here couldn’t be more positive and couldn’t be enjoying it more,” said Harrington in an interview with good friend and respected ESPN golf reporter, Bob Harig.

“I sense, as well, the players at home are pretty quiet on social media. You sense that maybe some of them would like to be here. Certainly I think some of them would definitely like to be here and they are missing out.

“Only time will tell whether adding golf to the Olympics increases the sport’s global footprint. A better gauge of the impact will come not from the U.S. but from less-matured golfing nations.

“There’s no doubt they are missing out, that’s for sure. You just don’t know where this game is going to lead and where they will be in four years’ time or eight years’ time or whether golf will be in the Olympics in eight years’ time.

Ireland’s golf Olympian Padraig Harrington working on his bunker play at the Gil Hanse designed course in Rio. (Note – Harrington’s favourite ‘Lady Bug’ head cover in his ‘non-equipment logo bag)

“I can’t say it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because we’re obviously in the 2020 Games, but it may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a lot of people.”

And Bob (www.espn.com) goes on to report that in the run-up to golf’s return to the Olympics was filled with negativity; no sport saw more withdrawals among its players.

In a huge blow to golf’s return to the Summer Olympics the current top four in the world, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy  all elected to skip the Games.

Harrington, 45, found himself realising the dream of representing his beloved country when McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Graeme McDowell ell elected not to play for Ireland.

And the Dubliner, having taken a role in helping get golf back into the Olympics back in 2009, is thrilled to be in Rio.

“I absolutely thought I would be here,” he said.

“But that’s the nature of sport, when you’re at the top of your game, you don’t believe it’s ever going to change. You think it’s going to last forever. Hindsight says that’s not true.

“It would be interesting about the athletes who turned down coming here this time. Some of them might not get the opportunity again. You’d be surprised how it does change. For me, clearly this is the opportunity of a lifetime. I feel good about my golf and where I’m at with my golf, logically, will I get another chance in 2020?

“So this is an awfully big deal that I’ve got an opportunity, and I’m keen to take it.”

Harrington’s wife and two sons made the journey to Rio, and they plan to stay next week to take in other Olympic sports.

“All the golfers here, everybody here is loving it,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve seen as much interaction between the players. Like at a major, there wouldn’t be interaction between the players at all. Everybody is really going about their business. Here we’re going about our business, but everybody is talking about what they have seen and what’s been happening and what they went to.”

• Big thanks to ESPN colleague Bob Harig for this story from Rio do Janeiro.