OLYMPIC GOLF

Should golf be an Olympic sport? Its reintroduction to the games in Rio in 2016 after a 112-year hiatus doesn't sit entirely comfortably with Phil. "The history and cachet of winning major championships, particularly in the men's games, is so embedded that becoming an Olympic champion is not viewed as the pinnacle of the sport," he says. Phil does see positives, however, particularly for the women's game. “Although the women have their majors, I get the impression that winning an Olympic medal means more to them. At Tokyo, all top 20 female players in the world were present.” Phil suggests a change to a team, instead of the current 72-hole strokeplay format, could be an opportunity to grow the game's global audience. “I'd feel way more at peace with golf being at the Olympics for the long haul if it were a team format. Imagine Ryan Fox and Lydia Ko playing together representing New Zealand.”