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TSN Senior Reporter

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One year from today, the Olympics get underway in Rio. For the first time since 1904, golf will be a part of that sporting extravaganza.

The last time golf was in the Games was in St. Louis and the field consisted of 77 players – 74 Americans and three Canadians. One of those Canucks, George, S. Lyon, captured the title. The trophy he won is on display out at the golf museum at Glen Abbey but the gold medal he earned was lost.

Now, more than a century later, there will be more gold to hand out at a course that is barely finished and with a format that’s pretty bland. Four rounds of stroke play. A men’s and women’s competition. Yawn.

The field size will be capped at 60 players based on the Official World Golf Rankings and Rolex Rankings as of July 11, 2016. The top 15 players on each ranking will earn spots but with no more than four from one country qualifying. The rest of the field will be made up of the highest-ranked players that don’t have two golfers already qualified. As well there’s a stipulation that at least one player from the host nation will get in.

If the Games were to start today, Canada’s team would be Graham Delaet and David Hearn for the men, and Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp on the female side.

There is a wide disparity of the importance of this tournament for the game’s top players. DeLaet and Hearn are more than a little excited for the chance to represent Canada at Rio. They want to march into the stadium adorned in Team Canada gear. Adam Scott, on the other hand, said he was barely interested, calling the competition an exhibition.

It’s hard to know exactly what will transpire in Rio. Certainly golf’s stakeholders are betting large that the game’s appearance as part of the multi-sport games will give a boost to the sagging participation numbers. As well, they’re hoping that it will open the game up in parts of the world where it’s not quite as prevalent as North America and the U.K. (translation: Asia).

Perhaps the closest example of a sport that joined the Olympic family is tennis. After disappearing in 1924, it returned to the Games in 1988 and since that time, most of the big names have competed and many have won gold – Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Steffi Graf among them.

But when you think of those athletes, Olympic gold isn’t what comes to mind – it’s all about majors.

The same will hold true for golf. Green Jacket or gold medal? That’s easy.

The Olympics will be more than the exhibition that Scott suggests, but it will take a few go-arounds for it to find its place among the game’s hierarchy. It’s unlikely to ever replace a major on any player’s list of goals, but a gold medal around your neck can certainly look pretty good.