Adam Scott, a former Masters champion and one-time No. 1 player in the world, couldn't care less about playing for an Olympic gold medal at next year's Summer Games in Rio.
In a recent interview with Reuters at the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, Scott dismissed the return of golf to the Olympics. The Rio Games will include the sport for the first time since 1904.
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"Whether I win an Olympic medal or not is not going to define my career or change whether I’ve fulfilled my career,” Scott said. “It’s nothing I’ve ever aspired to do and I don’t think I ever will. It’s all about the four majors and I think that’s the way it should stay for golf."
Scott's biggest qualm seems to be that other sports consider a gold medal to be the peak of accomplishment. Golf, on the other hand, is a full-time sport, with four major championships a year.
"Most of the athletes at the Olympics probably have trained four years specifically to peak at this one event," said Scott, who won the 2013 Masters and has long been one of the best, most popular players on the PGA Tour. “It’s the pinnacle of their sport . . . They get one crack at their big thing every four years. They have put their life on hold for this event and it’s so important to them, and I feel it’s their time. [Golf] doesn’t need to be in the Olympics."
Scott's stance should make for an interesting scenario next summer. It's almost inevitable, given his position in the world rankings, that Scott will be one of the top two Australian golfers in the world. Scott, currently 11th in the Official World Golf Rankings, will likely be paired with countryman Jason Day, who is ranked eighth.
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"I'm not definitely ruling it out but certainly I'm not planning my schedule around playing the Olympics,” Scott told Reuters. “I’m planning my schedule around playing majors the best I can. If I can fit going to the Olympics into that, it might be a bit of fun, then lucky me if I qualify . . . But if not, I’m not going to miss it, that's for sure, and I'll enjoy watching [the major Olympic sports]."
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