Jordan Spieth found himself in an unfamiliar place in the final round of the most recent golf tournament: watching at home on TV.
Spieth regrets his decision to stay home. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Spieth, along with several other top-ranked golfers of the world, chose to skip out on the 2016 Summer Olympics which marked the return of the sport that has been absent from the Games for over 100 years (since 1904).
Spieth, however, was the only golfer to express regret on his decision not to play in Rio, SB Nation reports. Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy also didn’t attend the Summer Games, siting the Zika virus and security as their reasons for deciding to stay home.
Congrats to @JustinRose99 @henrikstenson and Kuch! Great finish and great fnl rd by Kuch for #TeamUSA. Will be a goal to represent in2020
— Jordan Spieth (@JordanSpieth) August 14, 2016
“I enjoyed watching the finish to the Olympics and I wished I was there,” Spieth admitted. The third-ranked golfer in the world is already setting a goal to be there next time around in Tokyo. He previously said that deciding whether to participate or not was “the hardest thing I’ve had to do,” but was pleased in golf’s return in Rio saying it was “tremendous for the game.”
Gold Medal winner Justin Rose standing atop the podium in Rio. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy may be swallowing his words after watching the Olympics. The Irish golfer only watched the final hole of the Olympic tournament, which he didn’t plan on watching at all. (RELATED: Rory McIlroy Has No Time For Wozniacki Jabs)
His remarks about his decision to skip the Olympics were not received very well in the golf community. McIlroy said afterwards he was “pleasantly surprised” by the little golf he watched and admitted he was “glad to be somewhat proven wrong.”
Justin Rose won the gold medal in Rio on his final putt of the Olympic tournament. Rose also recorded the first ever hole-in-one during the Rio Games. (RELATED: Britain’s Justin Rose Sinks First Olympic Hole-In-One)