Corey Conners, right, and Nick Taylor on the 18th green during a practice round at Le Golf National in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France, on July 31.Matt York/The Associated Press
Nick Taylor and Corey Conners are loving Paris.
The two Canadians arrived ahead of the Olympic golf tournament, to join the other athletes in Friday’s opening ceremony and then enjoy a minivacation with their wives.
The two PGA Tour players representing Canada at the Games have had a great time, visiting the Palace of Versailles, befriending Canadian athletes from the volleyball team and tennis star Milos Raonic, among others, and attending Olympic events ranging from gymnastics to diving and badminton.
“Spending time with some of the other athletes, some who have won medals for Canada in the past, it’s something that’s really special,” said Conners, of Listowel, Ont. “To be able to win a medal for your country, it would mean the world.”
But now it’s down to business. The men practised Wednesday at Le Golf National and will tee off Thursday to open their tournament.
Golf was added back to the Olympics for Rio in 2016 after a 112-year absence. At first several top golfers declined to play in Brazil, or Tokyo in 2021. But the attitude of many golfers about taking part in the Games has changed.
“I didn’t see anybody that passed on the opportunity, versus the last couple of years,” said Taylor, Canada’s top-ranked PGA Tour player. “So I think it’s gaining momentum.”
Unlike in their pro tournaments, there is no prize purse for golfers at the Olympics. Some golfers may be paid by their federations. For the Canadian players, they would only be paid if they made the podium. The Canadian Olympic Committee’s Athlete Excellence Fund pays its athletes $20,000, $15,000 and $10,000 for winning Olympic gold, silver or bronze medals, respectively.
Taylor said they took inspiration from meeting the other athletes and learning about their training regimens. While it may not be the biggest event on the calendar for pro golfers, it is for many other sports.
Taylor said he’s chatted with fellow PGA Tour player Justin Rose, the Olympic gold medalist in Rio for Britain, who speaks highly of his experience at the Games.
“It’s just a really special event,” said Taylor, of Abbotsford, B.C. “So it’s definitely very important for us to be here.”
This is the same course that held the 2018 Ryder Cup, when Europe won, so many players know it well.
There are just 60 players in the field, compared to more than 100 in many of the biggest tournaments in golf. They include PGA Tour stars such as Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, this year’s Masters winner, Scottie Scheffler, and Tommy Fleetwood. And there’s also the defending Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele, who won the PGA Championship and the British Open this year. The field was based on the Olympic golf ranking and there was a cap on how many could come from one country. So plenty of top players are missing, such as Americans Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka and Tyrrell Hatton.
While most athletes in the other sports stay in the athletes village, many of the golfers – including the Canadians – are staying in a hotel close to the golf course, which is just outside Paris.
The 18th hole has an island green with lots of undulation and a picturesque obstacle: the Olympic rings. During Wednesday’s practice round, several of the golfers and their caddies were getting their photos taken with the rings.
Neither of the Canadians had played Golf National before. Conners said he studied up on it by playing it on his golf simulator back home.
The Canadians weren’t the only ones who showed up early to immerse themselves in the Olympic experience.
Collin Morikawa of the United States said he’d already been to gymnastics and water polo. Compatriot Wyndam Clarke said he’d been to events nearly every day, and was surprised when fellow U.S. athletes asked the golfers for photos during the opening ceremony.
Many of the golfers said they hoped to see a mixed event in future Olympics, so they can team up with the women, who also have their own individual stroke-play event. Canadian star Brooke Henderson and Conners played together in the Grant Thornton Invitational, a mixed event involving the PGA and LPGA.
“I think a team event would be great, and maybe it’s because we’re really proud of how good Brooke is, and any chance you get to team up with someone like her would be amazing,” Conners said. “I think it would add something a little extra special to the Olympic event.”