Golf
History
In 2016, after a little over a century, golf will be included again in the Olympic Programme, for the Games in Rio. The only two times that the sport featured in the Olympics were at the Games in Paris (1900) and St. Louis (1904). The news that golf would be included again in the Olympic programme was confirmed in October 2009 by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The origin of modern golf dates back to the 15th century in Scotland. However, the sport was not very well accepted at the beginning. Together with football, the sport was actually banned under the accusation of getting in the way of archery, which for the Scots was more than a sport back then, as they used it to defend themselves.
The first rules were developed only halfway through the 18th century. In the following century, the first open golf tournaments were organised and the first women’s association was set up in the United Kingdom. Later, in 1894, the United States Golf Association (USGA) was founded. In the following year, the US Open was held for the first time.
Charles Sands and Margaret Abbott were golf’s first Olympic champions at the Paris Games in 1900. In Rio de Janeiro, 120 golfers (60 male and 60 female) are expected to compete for medals.
Curiosities
The first medallists
Out of the four gold medals won by golfers at Olympics until today, three of them were scooped by the United States. At the Paris Games in 1900, Charles Sands and Margaret Abbott wrote their names in history. And not only in golf. For example, in the case of Sands, it was his first Olympics. In addition to taking part in the tennis event in 1900, the American athlete also competed in the jeu de paume – a type of tennis played by hand - in 1908. In fact, the sport was part of the Olympic programme only that year in London.
In the case of Margaret Abbott, she stands out because at the 1900 Games in Paris, she was the first female athlete to ever win a gold medal for the United States. Curiously, Margaret, who was in Paris studying art, took part in the tournament without knowing that it was part of an edition of the Olympic Games.
Canadian intruder
The St. Louis Olympics in 1904 were practically a national championship for the United States. Home athletes were greater in number and ended up with most of the podium finishes. However, in golf, a Canadian athlete with an unexpected background, left his opponents behind and took home the gold.
George Lyon could be considered an eccentric athlete. He had played baseball, cricket and tennis before. In fact, he only started playing golf at the age of 38. Eight years later, at the age of 46, he competed at the Olympics in 1904. To everyone’s surprise, he won the tournament. In addition to his age and little experience in the sport, Lyon drew attention because of his rather unorthodox technique: he used to hold his golf club as if he were holding a cricket bat. A bit of an extrovert, he used to make jokes on the field. Nevertheless, despite his unique technique, he ended up sharing the podium with H. Charles Edgan and Burt McKinnie from the USA.
