TROON, Scotland (AP) – Jordan Spieth, going for the third leg of the career Grand Slam, spent more time talking about a golf course he will never see.
The majority of his press conference was taken up with questions about the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and why he chose not to play. Spieth knew that was coming. It was only when he was leaving the room that the 22-year-old Texan smiled and said to no one in particular, “Do we have a tournament this week?”
Finally, yes.
Colin Montgomerie, who lived across the street from Royal Troon when his father was the club secretary, hits the first tee shot when the British Open begins on Thursday. That should put to rest three days of consternation about another tournament – the Olympics – that doesn’t have nearly the history or the tradition of golf’s oldest championship.
The International Golf Federation, run by former R&A chief Peter Dawson, took over Open week on Monday to announce that Olympic qualifying had ended and that Spieth (along with Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and 16 other men) was not playing.