Former British Open winner Ian Baker-Finch says the Olympic golf course in Rio de Janeiro has “come up nicely ... grown in well” and that parts of the layout remind him of Royal Melbourne.
Baker-Finch, who will captain the Australian team in golf’s return to the Olympics, also said that despite earlier reports that Adam Scott was not interested in playing, he expects the winner of the past two PGA Tour events to represent his country in August.
Just nine Brazilians — five men and four women — played the Olympic course this week after the PGA Tour was unable to persuade any of the world’s top players to participate in a test event.
The course is sandwiched between a sewage-polluted lagoon and luxury apartment towers in the western Rio neighborhood that is known as Barra da Tijuca.
Baker-Finch says Scott and Jason Day are excited about playing there.
“Every time I see Jason Day, he says: ‘Finchy, I’m pumped, I’m pumped, I can’t wait,’” the 1991 British Open champion told Melbourne’s SEN radio station yesterday. “I know there’s been a lot of talk about Adam, the way he started off this year, but he says: ‘Finchy, I play in the green and gold every week, you know that,’ and he’ll be playing his butt of when the time comes.”
Baker-Finch, who also said Minjee Lee and Karrie Webb — the likely Australian women’s team — were “champing at the bit” for their Olympic chance, said he had only heard good reviews from the course’s test event, which was attended by Australian Olympic chef de mission Kitty Chiller.
“It was more about 18 months ago when they were unsure how it was going to grow in and finish up, but it’s all come up really nicely,” Baker-Finch said yesterday. “But now, the course looks good, I’ve seen lots of photos and videos. The clubhouse is done [and] practice facilities look good. The course has grown in well. The last six months, that was their main concern, and it certainly looks pretty nice, right now.”
Baker-Finch said architect Gil Hanse tried to incorporate some traditional, deep bunkering into the new course which adds a “little Royal Melbourne” feel.
“The course will stand up,” Baker-Finch said.
“It’ll be new and the greens won’t be as good as we’re used to on the [Melbourne] sandbelt because of its age, but the course itself will be really good. It has a little links style, an open look to the course, some wetlands and lovely looking bunkering,” he added.
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