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WGC CADILLAC CHAMPIONSHIPMarch 6, 2014Dustin JohnsonJessica KordaAndy LevinsonDavide MattucciTy VotawMIAMI, FLORIDA TODD LEWIS:  I want to welcome to you this big announcement. My name is Todd Lewis, we'll run down the people on stage. To my immediate right, 8‑time winner on the PGA TOUR, Dustin Johnson. To his right, two‑time LPGA winner, including a victory this year, Jessica Korda, recent birthday, 21, last week. DUSTIN JOHNSON: Wish I was 21 again. TODD LEWIS: Sitting to his right, global director of apparel for adidas Golf, Davide Mattucci, and to his right, executive director of USA Golf, Andy Levinson, and to his right, vice president for the International Golf Federation, Ty Votaw. Hard to believe that the Olympics are just less than two and a half years away, and the golf, of course, is returning to the Olympics, big news globally for the sport. And USA Golf is heavily involved in making sure that the United States has a great team. And Andy, I'd like to you talk about the impact that USA Golf has and why we're here today. ANDY LEVINSON: Thank you, Todd, and thank you all for being here today. Very excited to be talking to you today about golf's return to the Olympics. We are on the clock. Many of you might not be familiar with USA Golf, but it was actually established in 2011. USA Golf was created by its four founding members, the LPGA, The PGA of America, the PGA TOUR and the USGA, and each of those organizations is represented on USA golf's board, as well as two athletes, Allison Duncan and Paul Goydos. We are fortunate to have two of our board members today, from the LPGA, Heather Daly‑Donofrio and from the PGA TOUR, Ross Berlin. Our other board members are from The PGA of America, Kerry Haigh and from the USGA John Bodenheimer. USA Golf is recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee and by the International Golf Federation as the national governing body for golf in the Olympics in the U.S. Our mission is to pursue competitive excellence in the Olympic competition and Olympic‑related competitions, and to contribute to the development of future Olympians, our responsibilities include anything from coordinating with the USOC, the IGF, the U.S. Anti‑Doping Agency to team logistics, player support staff, and the provision of the team uniform, which is why we're here today. I'm very pleased to announce that adidas Golf will be the Official Uniform Provider of USA Golf, in addition to providing the uniforms for the athletes in Rio. Adidas Golf will also be launching a USA Golf branded line of apparel later this year, which is going to give all golf fans the opportunity to share in the excitement of golf's return to the Olympics. Adidas Golf brings not only great product but also a long legacy in the Olympic Games, and they have made a significant commitment to help build the USA Golf brand. So we feel very fortunate to have adidas Golf as our partner, and with that, I'll ask Davide Mattucci to say a few words. DAVIDE MATTUCCI: Thank you, Andy and thank you guys for all being here. As Andy alluded to, for us, being back in the Olympics with golf, it's truly an honor and it's also an immense responsibility for us, as well. It's interesting, 2016 actually marks the 80th anniversary of when Jesse Owens wore a pair of adidas spikes on the track in 1936. So it's cool that adidas will be there in 2016 to represent the USA Golf team as golf makes its way back to the Olympics. We are extremely excited, appreciative of the opportunity, and very much looking forward to bringing the most innovative product to the best golf athletes in the world. TODD LEWIS:  Want to welcome again Ty Votaw. Ty, as the VP of the International Golf Federation, you helped lead bringing golf back into the Olympic Games. Now that as Andy said, we are on the clock, can you give us an update logistically what this means to the game, the future, post Olympics of golf and so on?  TY VOTAW: Well, there's a lot in that question, Todd, but I would say on behalf of the International Golf Federation, I'd say congratulations to adidas and USA Golf on this announcement. It's another indication that we're moving one step closer to having the first shot of golf played in the Olympics in close to 115 years. If you ask how much closer we are, it's 190 days between now and the first shot in the Olympics, 885 days to the Opening Ceremony, but who's counting. We are in the process of, as many of you know, building a golf course. Gil Hanse is the architect of record, and he is here this week to talk about the changes at Doral and he may ultimately be asked some questions about where things stand in Rio. But we are very pleased with where we are to date in terms of the quality of the earth work that's taking place, the shaping of the greens, the routing. We have a great piece of land. We have a great architect and we have a great design, and we think if we are able to hit the marks between now and 2016, we'll be able to put our best foot forward to have golf have a triumphant return in the Olympic Games. It's taken us a little bit longer than we would have liked to get to this point. We are pleased with what we have to date. We have a lot of work to do in the next 890 days and we all have to work together. It's the Rio 2016 organizing committee's responsibility to deliver the venue, as they are for all sports, working with the city, working with the landowner, the International Golf Federation, which is the sanctioning body, governing body of golf for international golf for Olympic purposes, is responsible for approving the venue for competition. And that's what our role has been in the past several years and we will continue to serve in that role and try to do everything we can to make sure the resources are committed by everybody involved to get us to the place we need to be. As far as the format is concerned, I know there's been some discussions about that. It is confirmed to be 72‑hole event stroke‑play competition. The field of play will be 60 players for both the men and the women. The men will be playing in the first week of the Olympic competition, the women in the second week. Many questions have been asked as to why we chose that format. We had a number of reasons for doing so. One was feedback from the players themselves who felt that if every other significant golf championship in our sport were 72‑hole event stroke play, they felt that that‑‑ that it was the fairest and best way to determine the champion. We also wanted to have the most number of countries be competitive. And obviously if you have one great player from a particular country, especially that of a developing golf country, obviously individual stroke‑play competition is going to make that country more competitive than if there was one great player and perhaps one of lesser stature. We also wanted to make sure that by making it a 60‑player field that all countries represented would play all four days so that the level of interest and the level of coverage of our sport would happen each day of competition, as opposed to other formats that would involve elimination or cuts of players on any given day. So that's the format, the update on the golf course. Eligibility, we are in the process of finalizing that with the IOC. We have recommended that the field be determined off of the World Rankings. The Top 15 in the world would get in up to a maximum of four from any one country, and then after that, no more than two from any one country, down to a field of 60. We are also proposing that if an athlete from the home country or host country, Brazil, is not represented, that there would be a spot saved on the women's or the men's side for that host country athlete. And we also want to make sure that each of the five Olympic continents are represented, and so the eligibility will contemplate that, as well. If the Olympics were today, with that criteria, there would be 34 countries represented on the men's side of the competition, 33 countries on the women's side of the competition. And when you look at other sports, someone said to me the other day that curling in the Winter Olympics only had five countries represented; I may be incorrect in that, but there are a number of sports that don't have nearly as many countries competing for a medal as what we'll have at 34 or 33. So I hope that answered your question, Todd. I think it covered the golf course, it covered the format and it covered the eligibility, and we are excited about working with all of the national federations to bring golf back to the Olympics in 2016.  TODD LEWIS: Can always count on a great answer from you, Ty, thank you. Dustin, I've seen you wear a lot of red, white and blue in your career, Presidents Cup team, Ryder Cup Team; to wear those colors in Rio, what would that mean to you? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, obviously just being a part of the Olympics. I've never experienced it. I've watched it growing up. We just got done watching the Winter Olympics. It's very special to represent your country. For golf, fortunately, I've done it in The Ryder Cup and The Presidents Cup, and it's a great honor to represent your country. So, you know, I'll be very proud if I get to go to Rio and represent the USA. TODD LEWIS:  Would it be just another event? DUSTIN JOHNSON: No. Events like that, they are special. So they are not just another event. It will be hard to, you know, it's kind of‑‑ you can compare it to majors, because you know it's a special, elite event, it's special, the Olympics only happens every couple years. It's a special event and it will be a special thing to be a part of. TODD LEWIS: Jessica, you've won trophies and you've won money. To win a Gold Medal, if you were able to do that, kind of rank what that would mean in your life. JESSICA KORDA: I think winning a Gold Medal would mean not only so much for myself but it would mean a lot for the country. When you wear red white and blue, that's when you stop playing for your country only. You play for your country pride and your teammates, as well. Winning a Gold Medal to mean everything to me personally, but it would mean more to everybody else, as well. TODD LEWIS: I know it's down the road but if you're on that team, can you kind of visualize the atmosphere of what it would be like? Have you thought about that at all? JESSICA KORDA: I can only compare it to what Solheim Cup felt and watching Ryder Cup on TV. I think it's almost like an out‑of‑body experience that you have on the first tee because there's so many people, they are all chanting either your name or USA, and it will definitely be something to look forward to. Q. You mentioned men the first week, women the second at the Olympics; will you be watching Pinehurst very closely to see how that is conducted and the setup of that and how that goes as far as in what you might be looking at in Rio?  TY VOTAW: Absolutely. Obviously we were‑‑ I believe we were in the middle of the bid process when it was announced by the USGA that they were planning to do back‑to‑back weeks for the U.S. Open and the U.S. Women's Open. The issues that present themselves in that, whether it's obviously tee boxes, landing areas, even the positioning of grandstands in relation to tee boxes from a fan perspective, are all things that we are going to be following and looking at and learning from so that we can do, from an inside the ropes perspective, which is what the IGF's responsibility is during the Olympic Games, that we can do as good a presentation as we can and make it a fair and good test for both the men and the woman. Q. I know you talked all about having a test event at the Olympic course, and it's come up that the Latin American Amateur Championship would be that event. Would that be the case and what time frame are you looking at to hold that event? TY VOTAW: There have been no determinations made relative to the test event. A lot of it is going to depend on what the readiness of the golf course is going to be. Our original projections were to hopefully have a test event in the first half of 2015 and that got moved to the second half of 2015. We may ultimately end up having a test event in the year of the Olympics themselves early in the 2016 year. And again, the test event is used for multiple purposes. It's used to test the procedures and the operations of the organizing committee, whether it's scoring, whether it's security, whether it's operations and moving people from a transportation perspective to venues. All of those things would be part of what a test event does. Ultimately from a competitive perspective, the athletes be able to give us feedback on the golf course. If it's held now in the second half of 2015 or the first half of 2016, our ability to make any significant changes to the golf course are going to be limited but we'll learn from golf course set up and prevailing wind and conditions, information that we can take into the Olympic Games as well. Q. Have you determined when the cutoff will be for the field to qualify? TY VOTAW: We'll be making a more comprehensive announcement about that in a few weeks' time, but right now it looks as if the cutoff date is going to be July 11 of 2016. And where that falls in relation to the overall golf schedule is going to, is still to be determined but right now we have identified July 11 as the date. Q. With so much going on around that time and it will take so much time, how will the viewing‑‑ TY VOTAW: We'll work with the IOC's international broadcast staff who will be determining the world feed for the event. Obviously each country will determine what they are going to do relative to each sport they cover, but we anticipate that there's going to be extensive coverage, certainly on the Golf Channel in the United States, with NBC Sports being the host broadcaster for this country; and how that interacts with the international feed and how‑‑ what is made available to the rest of the world, will depend ‑‑ and how that gets presented will depend on what level of interests and what the other programming choices are of each individual television partner of the IOC. Q. For Dustin and maybe a little bit for Ty, too, but if you're representing the U.S. in the Olympics that year, it's also a Ryder Cup year, you've got the Playoffs from the PGA TOUR and the majors leading right into it; it's possibly an extremely busy year for you guys. Are you concerned about that type of wear and tear, and is there any way to alleviate from the TOUR's standpoint? DUSTIN JOHNSON: For me, not really. That time of year, every year, is a big time of year. We have a lot of huge tournaments and you're playing pretty much every week. So it's not too big of a deal, or it's not a worry for me at all. Q. Are there plans to fit the Olympics? TY VOTAW: On the scheduling of that, you have a World Golf Championships, an Open Championship, a PGA Championship, an Olympic competition, FedExCup Playoffs and a Ryder Cup and a number of other significant events on the men's side and certainly the same on the women's side. It's going to be a crowded year, there's no question about that. All we can do‑‑ when we made the commitment to join together, all of the golf organizations, to make the bid for golf's entry back into the Games, everybody committed to working together and making sure that when the Olympics do take place, every organization is willing to make some sacrifices in that regard, and I think as we've moved along this process, and when we ultimately lay out the 2016 schedule, I think you'll see that. About you we're ultimately‑‑ we're all acknowledging the fact that it's going to be a crowded schedule. Q. Which tour‑‑ TY VOTAW: The International Golf Federation is, as I said, the governing body for Olympic golf, and it is made up of representatives, the managing board of the International Golf Federation, is made up of representatives of all the various golf organizations, some of which are also represented on USA Golf. But from there, the body is made up of the PGA TOUR, the LPGA, the USGA, The PGA of America, the R&A, European Tour, and Augusta National. And so all of those organizations are going to work together to much the same way competition's committees and other major championships work with the IGF being the main body that is going to be responsible for inside the ropes competition. But everybody in golf is going to contribute to the overall competition. Q. With all the different companies that are out there, why adidas? ANDY LEVINSON:  Well, as I said, adidas Golf, not only they have a great product but also do have an extensive history in the Olympics. Adidas Golf was extremely prominent in London in 2012, and as I said, also, they have really shown an excitement and a commitment to helping USA Golf build itself as a new organization, as a new golf entity in the United States, to really help us build our brand. And we were really looking for a partner that would help us doing that and that would be committed to doing that, and we felt really strongly that they were the best one for that job. Q. If you make the Olympic Team, what other sports would you be interested in watching when you're there? And Jessica, you're not allowed to say tennis. JESSICA KORDA: I'm a huge fan of gymnastics, so I would definitely be there all the time. You know, tennis, obviously, even though I'm not allowed to say it. There's just so many sports; it's so tough to choose. Like Winter and Summer Olympics are two of my favorite things to watch on TV. Growing up as a kid, that's all I would watch when it was on. For us to potentially be there in 2016 is going to be surreal. DUSTIN JOHNSON: I would probably go watch maybe some track and field and basketball. There's so many events, but yeah, that would be probably the two places I would go watch. Q. How hands on has the IOC been in the course design? Did they come to you and say, we wanted to have a specific designer‑‑ or do they say, have at it and design to the best of your abilities? TY VOTAW: No, I would say the IOC has been respectful of the IGF's expertise in how our sport is presented and how our sport is played. We did a competition for the architect that had eight of the biggest names in golf course architecture participate, and Gil Hanse was the person who emerged from that process, and he's done a great job in what he's been given. And the piece of land, he's described it similar to the sand belt in Australia in terms of what he's trying to accomplish. I mean, if you look at the piece of property, you have the ocean, a beach, a lagoon and then a sand‑capped piece of property that is pretty ideal for a golf course. As I said, we feel very good about what he's been able to accomplish to date, and we have a lot more work to do. But the IOC has been very respectful of the overall expertise of Gil Hanse and obviously our involvement in the approval process. Q. Would you feel that competing for Gold in Rio would feel like the fifth or sixth major that year for you guys, and would winning gold be the prize you'd want above all the others that year? JESSICA KORDA: You can go ahead. DUSTIN JOHNSON: It's the first time golf has been in the Olympics for a long time. To compare it to a major, I don't know, it's going to be up there with the same stature. I would like to win either of them, it would be just fine. Any tournament I play in, I'm very happy to win, so I'll be very excited if I win, yes. JESSICA KORDA: Same like Dustin said.  It's so hard to envision yourself, what it would feel like to win an Olympic Gold medal if you've never been there. But you always want to win, wherever you play, and winning an Olympic medal, winning a major, winning any tournament, it's just an amazing feeling. Q. With the wrap‑around schedule, it's already challenging enough to decide what tournament you're going to play in and what tournaments you're not going to play in. With everything happening in 2016, how much more challenging will it be for you to make your schedule, to try and make this Olympic Team, as well? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, the time of the year that the Olympics are in, you're playing every week anyway. So it's not a big deal really. That time of year is very busy. But, you know, maybe in the beginning of the year, you might relax a little bit more, like leading into the summer. But, I mean, I think I do a pretty good job with my schedule as it is, so I won't have to change anything. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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