29 JULY, 2022 - SHANK MEDIA, BY MATT HOOPER: THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES OF 2022 GOT UNDERWAY IN BIRMINGHAM LAST NIGHT WITH THE SPECTACULAR OPENING CEREMONY AT THE ALEXANDER STADIUM, AND THE ACTION IS OFF AND RUNNING ACROSS THE WEST MIDLANDS TODAY AS ATHLETES FROM 72 COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES COMPETE FOR MEDALS ACROSS 24 SPORTS. THE GAMES FEATURE SPORTS WHICH ARE NOT PART OF THE OLYMPICS, SUCH AS LAWN BOWLS AND SQUASH, AND DO NOT FEATURE ALL OLYMPIC SPORTS, INCLUDING GOLF. BUT IMAGINE IF IT DID.
GOLF IS A STRONG SPORT ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH, WITH GOLFERS FROM ENGLAND, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, FIJI, SOUTH AFRICA, SCOTLAND, WALES, NORTHERN IRELAND AND CANADA ALL HAVING WON MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS IN THE MEN'S AND WOMEN'S GAME SINCE 1860.
SO IF GOLF WAS PART OF THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES WHAT COULD THE FIELDS LOOK LIKE?
IT IS LIKELY, WITH THE PACKED PROFESSIONAL SCHEDULE, THAT GOLF WOULD BE AMATEUR IF IT WAS INCLUDED IN THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES, BUT LET US FOR A MOMENT IMAGINE IF THE SCHEDULE ALLOWED FOR THE BEST GOLFERS FROM THE COMMONWEALTH TO COMPETE IN BIRMINGHAM. FIRSTLY THE OBVIOUS CHOICE OF VENUE IS THE BRABAZON COURSE AT THE BELFRY, HOST THE BRITISH MASTERS IN MAY, AND ICONIC STAGE FOR FOUR RYDER CUPS, MOST RECENTLY IN 2002.
BECAUSE THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES ONLY FEATURES ABOUT A THIRD OF THE NATIONS WHICH COMPETE IN THE OLYMPICS THE FIELD WOULD HAVE TO BE COMPRISED SLIGHTLY DIFFERENTLY TO HOW THE GOLF TOURNAMENT AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES IS. LET US LOOK AT THE POSSIBLE MEN'S FIELD FOR BIRMINGHAM 2022:
TOP 60 COMMONWEALTH GOLFERS ACCORDING TO THE OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKING, NO MAXIMUM PER COUNTRY -
CAMERON SMITH (AUSTRALIA), RORY MCILROY (NORTHERN IRELAND), MATT FITZPATRICK (ENGLAND), LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN (SOUTH AFRICA), TOMMY FLEETWOOD (ENGLAND), TYRRELL HATTON (ENGLAND), PAUL CASEY (ENGLAND), COREY CONNERS (CANADA), ADAM SCOTT (AUSTRALIA), RYAN FOX (NEW ZEALAND), LUCAS HERBERT (AUSTRALIA), CHRISTIAAN BEZEIDENHOUT (SOUTH AFRICA), MARC LEISHMAN (AUSTRALIA), DEAN BURMESTER (SOUTH AFRICA), MIN WOO LEE (AUSTRALIA), CAMERON DAVIS (AUSTRALIA), MACKENZIE HUGHES (CANADA), ERIK VAN ROOYEN (SOUTH AFRICA), MATT JONES (AUSTRALIA), ADAM HADWIN (CANADA), SHAUN NORRIS (SOUTH AFRICA), SAM HORSFIELD (ENGLAND), LEE WESTWOOD (ENGLAND), ANIRBAN LAHIRI (INDIA), ROBERT MACINTYRE (SCOTLAND), OLIVER BEKKER (SOUTH AFRICA), IAN POULTER (ENGLAND), JORDAN SMITH (ENGLAND), CHARL SCHWARTZEL (SOUTH AFRICA), JUSTIN HARDING (SOUTH AFRICA), THIRSTON LAWRENCE (SOUTH AFRICA), GARRICK HIGGO (SOUTH AFRICA), BRAD KENNEDY (AUSTRALIA), BRANDEN GRACE (SOUTH AFRICA), LAURIE CANTER (ENGLAND), DANNY WILLETT (ENGLAND), AARON RAI (ENGLAND, HENNIE DU PLESSIS (SOUTH AFRICA), DYLAN FRITELLI (SOUTH AFRICA), JASON DAY (AUSTRALIA), DANIEL VAN TONDER (SOUTH AFRICA), ADAM SVENSSON (CANADA), MARTIN LAIRD (SCOTLAND), JAMIE DONALDSON (WALES), MATT WALLACE (ENGLAND), JASON SCRIVENER (AUSTRALIA), RICHIE RAMSAY (SCOTLAND), JC RITCHIE (SOUTH AFRICA), ANTHONY QUAYLE (AUSTRALIA), RUSSELL KNOX (SCOTLAND), MARCUS ARMITAGE (ENGLAND), CALUM HILL (SCOTLAND), JACO ALHERS (SOUTH AFRICA), SHUBHANKAR SHARMA (INDIA), EWEN FERGUSON (SCOTLAND), TRISTEN STRYDOM (SOUTH AFRICA), GRANT FORREST (SCOTLAND), TAYLOR PENDRITH (CANADA), MJ DAFFUE (SOUTH AFRICA), DANIEL GAVINS (ENGLAND)
AUSTRALIA, NORTHERN IRELAND, ENGLAND, SOUTH AFRICA, CANADA, NEW ZEALAND, INDIA, SCOTLAND AND WALES WOULD BE REPRESENTED IN THE FIELD, WITH THE WORLD NUMBER 2 LEADING THE FIELD AND THE 60 PLAYERS RANKED BETWEEN 2ND AND 251 ON THE OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKING. THE FIELD WOULD CURRENTLY FEATURE 7 MAJOR CHAMPIONS AND 4 PLAYERS WHICH HAVE HELD WORLD NUMBER ONE DURING THEIR CAREER.
THE WOMEN'S COMMONWEALTH GAMES GOLF TOURNAMENT WOULD FEATURE THE FOLLOWING FIELD IF IT WAS SELECTED TODAY -
MINJEE LEE (AUSTRALIA), LYDIA KO (NEW ZEALAND), BROOKE HENDERSON (CANADA), HANNAH GREEN (AUSTRALIA), GEORGIA HALL (ENGLAND), CHARLEY HULL (ENGLAND), BRONTE LAW (ENGLAND), JODI EWART SHADOFF (ENGLAND), STEPHANIE KYRIACOU (AUSTRALIA), MELISSA REID (ENGLAND), SU-HYUN OH (AUSTRALIA), PAULA RETO (SOUTH AFRICA), MAUDE-AIMEE LEBLANC (CANADA), ADITI ASHOK (CANADA), KELLY TAN (MALAYSIA), GABRIELA RUFFELS (AUSTRALIA), SARAH KEMP (AUSTRALIA), ALICE HEWSON (ENGLAND), WHITNEY HILLIER (AUSTRALIA), GEMMA DRYBURGH (SCOTLAND), LYDIA HALL (WALES), MOMOKA KOBORI (NEW ZEALAND), NICOLE GARCIA (SOUTH AFRICA), BECKY BREWERTON (WALES), CHARLOTTE THOMAS (ENGLAND), GABRIELLA COWLEY (ENGLAND), KYLIE WALKER (SCOTLAND), LIZ YOUNG (ENGLAND), MEGHAN MACLAREN (ENGLAND), CASSANDRA ALEXANDER (SOUTH AFRICA), KELSEY MACDONALD (SCOTLAND), FELICITY JOHNSON (ENGLAND), MICHELLE THOMSON (SCOTLAND), SARAH JANE-SMITH (AUSTRALIA), CASSIE PORTER (AUSTRALIA), CHLOE WILLIAMS (WALES), HANNAH BURKE (ENGLAND), BECKY MORGAN (WALES), TVESA MALIK (INDIA), LAURA BEVERIDGE (SCOTLAND), LOUISE DUNCAN (SCOTLAND), LILY HUMPHREYS (ENGLAND), KARIS DAVIDSON (AUSTRALIA), CARA GRAINER (ENGLAND), ELEANOR GIVENS (ENGLAND), CHOI ROBYN (AUSTRALIA), HAYLEY DAVIS (ENGLAND), DIKSHA DAGAR (INDIA), ROSIE DAVIES (ENGLAND), JULIANA HUNG (NEW ZEALAND), CHLOE FRANKISH (ENGLAND), RACHAEL GOODALL (ENGLAND), KELSEY BENNETT (AUSTRALIA), LAURA DAVIES (ENGLAND), OLIVIA MEHAFFEY (NORTHERN IRELAND), KRISTALLE BLUM (AUSTRALIA), GABRIELLE MACDONALD (SCOTLAND), KRISTEN RUDGELEY (AUSTRALIA), ANNABEL DIMMOCK (ENGLAND)
SO BOTH THE MEN'S AND WOMEN'S FIELDS WOULD BE STACKED WITH TOP TALENT FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE, AND WITH JUST 120 GOLFERS IN THE TWO TOURNAMENTS THE MEN AND WOMEN COULD PLAY ON THE SAME COURSE AT THE SAME TIME, MAKING IT MORE PRACTICAL FOR GOLF TO FIT INTO THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES.
