Rio 2016: Players should embrace chance to play for their country, says Spence

by Graham Otway

In his role as team leader and ­co-ordinator for Britain’s top men and women golfers at the Olympic Games in August, Jamie Spence has been spared suffering the anguish that has been heaped upon South Africa’s Gary Player and ­Australia’s Ian Baker-Finch.

In the hunt for gold medals, they will be captaining teams who lack recent Major winners who have decided that they do not want to be a part of the Rio carnival.

Spence, however, declines to use the word ‘captain’ as part of his title and given that he puts the words ‘form-filler’, ‘troubleshooter’ and ‘tour guide’ into his job description, he could justifiably use the word ‘dogsbody’.

That, however, would suggest that the 52-year-old two-time European Tour winner is struggling to carry out an ­unpaid job that has occupied many ­hundreds of hours of his time since he was appointed by the British Olympic Association to oversee British golf’s ­return to the Games in December 2014.

It is a challenge that he insists he is enjoying even though it has restricted the work that he would otherwise be doing as a Senior Tour player, part-time worker for the European Tour, Sky TV golf analyst and coaching Tour pros.

And when it comes down to the task of filling in piles of forms, Spence can draw on his experience when he was a full-time European Tour player to ­compare the intricate process of preparing the golfers for Rio de Janeiro.

“When I was out on Tour, I would look at the year’s schedule and then ring the Entries Department up and enter every tournament,” he said.

“Then as the season developed, I would ring them back up and withdraw from the ones I had decided I was not going to play in and I had to do that a month in advance or I would get fined.

“But once I had entered a ­tournament, all I had to do then was turn up at the gate with my players’ badge and that was it. After that I could go ­anywhere I liked.

“The entry procedure and ­accreditation  system for the players and their caddies for the Olympics is so much more extensive.

“They need passes for the course and the athletes’ village and so many other things and applying for every single one of them means I  have to fill in forms each time. Because it is the Olympics, I understand that there has to be very tight ­security but there is just so much ­administration involved.”

And some of the workload will just end up in a rubbish bin because of the qualification procedure that has been selected for the Games does not end until July 11 – less than four weeks ­before the opening ceremony in Rio.

When the Olympics world ranking table is finalised on the Monday before The Open starts at Royal Troon in July, the 60-strong field for the men’s and women’s 72-hole strokeplay competition will be announced.

The top 15 in both tables will go to Brazil with the one caveat that no ­country is allowed more than four ­players from either sex. The rest of the fields will be determined by the ­rankings with a maximum of two players per country for countries who don’t have two players in the top 15.

And although there are still three months before the deadline, Spence has identified and spoken to all the players he believes are in with a chance of going to Rio.

“Of the men, Justin Rose and Danny Willett already look to be nailed in to the team, but, if they have a good couple of months, Paul Casey, Andy Sullivan, Russell Knox and Matt Fitzpatrick could climb into the top 15.

“Charley Hull should be in the women’s field and after her its going to be very tight between Catriona Matthew and Holly Clyburn.

“Because she is in her mid-forties and in the twilight of her career, getting to the Olympics is Catriona’s goal for this year, but Holly wants in too and they will be going at it hammer and tongs every tournament between now and July.”

Unlike the Australian and South African team captains, who will have to prepare for a medal hunt with some of their best players ­unwilling to travel to Brazil, Spence has been given assurances by all the above named that they are keen to go.

“One unnamed player I did speak to said he didn’t want to be at the Olympics,” said Spence. “But he has since dropped well out of contention, so it doesn’t matter.

“But  I am disappointed that several world stars have chosen not go to the Olympics. I think they should all ­embrace the Games and take the chance of representing their country, which is something that doesn’t often happen in golf

“The Olympics is the chance to show what a great sport golf is and to take the players to a new audience.”

And on being asked what ­accommodation they would be wanting for the fortnight all of them except Justin Rose, who is hiring a private house for his family, have said that they will stay in the athletes’ village.

“But its not just the players that have to be organised,” said Spence. “There are also their caddies, coaches and physios. That will all be organised in ­advance so once we get out there my main job will be troubleshooting. With so much security and players perhaps wanting to go and watch other events I will be like a travel guide – though who would want to follow me I don’t know.”

One subject of conversation that Spence predicts will crop up often in Rio is the decision by the Olympic chiefs not to award medals to the caddies of the players who finish in the top three of the competitions.

The coxes to rowing teams qualify for medals but Spence believes the caddies could feel a bit a miffed.

“The caddies will be staying in the village with the golfers and athletes and it’s going to be a great experience for them,” he said.

“Do they offer similar advice to the golfers as the coxes do their rowers? You can make your mind up on that.

“Yet the caddies are not being paid to go to the Olympics so its all a voluntary trip and  they will be working for their players for three and a half to four hours during each of the four rounds – rowing races don’t last that long.”

That Spence is also not being paid for his heavy workload does not worry him. “I haven’t got a pot of gold put aside from my playing days,” he said. “So I still have to work – doing stuff for Sky, the European Tour and coaching. And the Olympics has meant I have had to cut back on coaching and playing on the European Seniors Tour.

“I doubt if I will be able play more than two or three events this summer – but hey I am going to the Olympics and that’s going to be a great experience.”

Tagged Charley Hull, Danny Willett, Jamie Spence, Justin Rose, Olympics Rio 2016, Rio, Rio 2016