Golf is set to grow in Asia and this is primarily due to the just concluded Tokyo Olympic Games. Golf was one event that did enormously well and if anything at all, it certainly justified and validated its inclusion in the greatest sporting spectacle on Planet Earth. Although there are no statistics available to back up golf’s popularity at the Tokyo Olympics, it must be noted that every nation in the Asia Pacific geography was placed on the game’s television broadcast footprint – even strife-torn Afghanistan and the remote island of Papua New Guinea! Add to this the fact that television broadcast of the golf competition went out on a common time-zone which means to say that golf fans were able to watch proceedings during their wakening hours. In the absence of TV audience ratings for the Asia Pacific, a good measure of the pull-power of Olympic golf was very evident in the great interest generated on social media.
In the men’s event, reigning Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama made a gallant bid to win gold and boost national pride in what is a golf crazy nation. Although Matsuyama did not make the grade, he battled like a true Olympian to finish tied fourth overall. Another Asian dug deep to summon up the will and courage to bring glory to his home country and to the Asian continent. Taiwan’s C.T. Pan crossed swords with American super-star Collin Morikawa to defeat him in a gut-wrenching play-off to wrest the bronze medal – a massive victory for Pan and for all of Asia.
The women’s tournament was, a nail biter which witnessed incredible performances by India’s Aditi Ashok and Japan’s Mone Inami, the eventual silver medal winner. Aside from the fairy-tale ending to Ashok’s Olympic challenge, Asian women golfers performed extremely well against a tough Olympic field of 60 golfers. A total of 18 players took part representing Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Philippines, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia and Thailand. Of this group, 8 finished in the top 15 which is a huge achievement for Asian women golfers.
In the final analysis, golf has done well at the Olympic level. Asia has played its part to ensure the validation of golf as a deserving member of the Olympic family of sports. Golf has honoured the Olympic Creed – “The important thing in life is not the triumph, but the fight; the essential thing is not to have won, but to have fought well.”
The September issue also looks at the on-going tussle between the PGA Tour, the European Tour and the renegade Premier Golf League as it struggles in its battle for validation.
For this and more, check out the September 2021 edition of ASIAN GOLF. There is nothing like ASIAN GOLF. Voted the Best Golf Business Magazine In The Asia Pacific for 2020/2021.
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