August 19, 2016

Peter Dawson Interview
This week, Mr. Peter Dawson, President of the International Golf Federation, kindly granted me an interview. I´m honored. We talked about the undeniable effects of the return of the sport to the Olympic Games. His words inspire and reinforce the legacy of golf to the next generations of athletes and passionate golf lovers all over the world. Golf success at the Olympics speaks for itself. The future of our sport has come.
 
Giulia: What future will the Olympic Games provide to golf?

Mr. Dawson: When we first embarked on trying to get golf back to the Games –after an absence of one hundred and twelve years- the reason we did it was not just to prove golf´s competitive landscape. It was because so many small countries said to us if golf was an Olympic sport, it would increase the exposure of the sport in our country increase the government interest in recognition, and it would increase the amount of central funding or even start central funding. Many countries around the world do more for an Olympic sport than they do for a non-Olympic sport. It became clear to us that is the biggest "grow the game" opportunity available to golf. Fortunately, in Copenhagen in 2009 for an International Olympic Committee session we started addressing golf to become an Olympic sport, and several small countries wanted to provide more funding and recognition to golf. Since that time, about 30 countries joined the International Golf Federation. I think that the success of last week´s men´s competition and this week´s women´s competition will definitely help grow the game of golf.
 
Giulia: How Brazil and its enthusiasm could promote the sport?

Mr. Dawson: Brazil is the fifth biggest country in the world, with two hundred million people and there is a huge room for growth, that´s for sure.  I think youngsters watching golf on the television is great; obviously more affordable public facilities are starting to become more common. The Japeri Project is also a great example to help grow the game in Brazil, and making children more interested in this sport. Japeri is a prodigious success; I´ve been there more than once. We have to keep these public facilities with a low cost, don´t spend fortunes on clubhouses, make the game affordable for people.
 
Giulia: Do you think the International Golf Federation´s role will be different after the Olympic Games?

Mr. Dawson: I do. International federations do see funding from the IOC with the television revenues from the Olympic Games. Therefore, the IGF´s funding will greatly improve. Not only the IGF but also other golfing bodies to get more money into the game is going to help to have more recognition and knowledge about golf becoming more popular in the Olympics. Nevertheless, what I don´t think that the IGF will get into the territory that the world has currently gone by, for example the R&A or the USGA. I think the IGF will mainly concentrate on the Olympics and the World Amateur team championships.

Giulia: What were your expectations for the Olympic Golf Course?

Mr. Dawson: I think the Olympic Course is absolutely terrific. What Gil Hanse designed has been great and it´s in perfect shape and form for the competitions and the legacy after the Olympics. I think the players liked it, especially because of the strategic challenge of it. However, thinking equally importantly is that many players after the Olympics will enjoy the course because it´s very wide and open. This course has been incredibly designed for different levels of competition, so it´s good to have a mix of game styles here. What is a good challenge is the back nine. We saw last week when the men were playing that the last four holes were very into play.
 
Giulia: Are you happy that Justin Rose won the gold medal for Great Britain last week?

Mr. Dawson: The IGF of course is an international organization and we´re supposed to be impartial about opinions and personal perspectives. However, yes, I´ve known Justin since he was an amateur and it was great to see come through with the Olympics. He was so thrilled to win the gold medal. He did a wonderful press conference with me last week.

 

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August 16, 2016

A 2-foot putt was all it was. Justin Rose birdied the last hole to become an Olympic Gold Medalist for Great Britain. As soon as he sank his putt, you could hear the spectators roaring in happiness and throwing their hats in the air in the sight of Justin Rose´s highest moment of his golf career.

For the final round, Rio finally showed the athletes and spectators the real weather-clear skies and an extremely hot temperature (even though it´s winter here, Rio is ALWAYS warm). The gates opened at 6:30 am and a colorful wave of spectators and fans went their way to the first tee and driving range to see their favorite players. There were so many people that at some point we did not have any more ´Silence´ signs to tell them to be quiet when a golfer was playing. At some holes they were very loud, but it was the last day and it was a lot of fun. Matt Kuchar showed up on the first tee and the entire crowd waiting for him to take his first shot was yelling "Kooooch".

The last group to tee off was composed of Justin Rose who was leading by only one shot, Henrik Stenson, and Marcus Fraser. It was going to be an intense game. Throughout the round, Rose and Stenson were alternating who was leading the tournament. Many people were confused who was the leader at that moment because in every hole one would make a better score than the other. While the leaders were focused to win a medal, Matt Kuchar was also making a move on the leaderboard. He shot 8 under par for the day and made the round of his life. He went from 20^th place to 3^rd in a few hours and was able to classify winning the bronze medal.

Our competition management team decided to go to the 18^th green when the penultimate group was on the fairway hitting to the green. We chose the best spots to watch the incoming groups; Right in front of the media mixed zone. That group to finish the last round was Bubba Watson´s. Bubba was in 4^th place with 7 under par at the end of the third round, but he shot even on the last day and did not end up at the top of the leaderboard. However, Bubba being Bubba, he did not lose his charisma and pitched his golf ball to the bleachers on the last hole to his fans. If he ever stops playing golf, he will have a promising baseball career ahead of him.

You know Rose and Stenson are near you when you see their gallery walking down the fairway from a mile away wearing their country´s colors and chanting their National Anthems. By then, Rose was leading by one shot. This was a decisive moment to see who won the medals, and if there would be a playoff. The 18^th hole is the longest and hardest par 5 of the course because of the wind. The Olympic Golf Course is a links style course so there are no trees and the wind is into play all the time! How you play your shots here is crucial for you to win a championship or lose it all. One hole can define how you play for the entire day, no matter if you´re playing well or not. Both Rose and Stenson hit their drivers to the middle of the fairway in perfect position to go to the green. Their second shots were short and did not reach the green because the wind was against them. The Australian player almost lost his hat while he was doing his practice swing. The flag of the last hole was on the far right in a very difficult position to attack the green. Stenson decided to play safe and just go to the middle of the green. His ball hit the green but it had too much backspin and almost rolled out to the front of the green. Rose on the other hand went for it and played the best shot of his life. He stuck his golf ball to 2 feet to the hole, just a simple tap-in birdie. The spectators went wild and started to chant Rose´s name.
 
A 2-foot putt was all it was. After 112 years without golf in the Olympic Games, Justin Rose won the Gold Medal for his country, and showed the entire world how great this sport is and how it deserved to be part of the Olympics forever.

There were no words to describe the medal ceremony. It was a magical moment to see the players receiving their medals and listening their names being declared by the announcer; it gave everyone goosebumps. When Rose went up to the podium to receive his gold medal and listen to Great Britain´s National Anthem, several people got emotional and cried for witnessing such a historical moment. I was one of them.

Sunday´s final round of the men´s competition went to the history books, and was one of the best days of my life.
 

 

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August 14, 2016

Hello, Aces! Welcome back to my Rio 2016 Golf Blog! I can't believe that we are halfway through the men´s competition event for the Olympics. This week flew by and I´m sad that the final round has taken place. I just wish all the players stayed here after their last competition day so my friends and I could take them to Ipanema Beach while playing some samba music so they enjoy a true Rio experience. After the Olympics they will be back to Rio. That's for sure!

One day before the first round started, there was a dress rehearsal on the course to see if all the cameras were angled in the right way, the names of the players were being announced correctly, and the tee times were set for the right time for each player. Before the start of the dress rehearsal, I was in my office helping to arrange the practice schedules of the female players who have their competition next week, until the head manager of sport competition called me to be part of the rehearsal! I had to pretend being any player and swing a club on the first tee just to check if the timing was right, and where each player would be standing when they were being introduced to the spectators. The manager said that I could be anyone I wanted, so I chose to be our Brazilian player Adilson da Silva! The rehearsal was a lot of fun, and we were even showed up swinging on the big leaderboard screen on the eighteenth hole.

On the first competition day, thousands of spectators arrived at the Olympic Golf Course early in the morning to watch Adilson tee off. Not only he would be hitting the first shot for the official competition, but also he was the first player to tee off after one hundred and twelve years of the sports absence in the Olympics. Just imagine the pressure of hitting this first shot after so long, and debuting in your home country. When the time came, Adilson striped his driver right on the middle of the fairway of the par 5. A perfect shot. Our whole management team was emotional because we were taking part in a historical moment for golf.

The first round had some incredible highlights. Great Britain player Justin Rose made a hole-in-one on the fourth hole 190 yard par 3. The gallery which was following his group was yelling with happiness, and we could hear them all the way to the clubhouse. I don´t think there is a better way to start the Olympics than making a hole-in-one on the very first day. The leader of the day was Australian Marcus Fraser who plays on the Asian Tour, and he shot -8. He beat the record for lowest round in the Olympics history.

What really caught every player and every spectator´s attention was that the golf legend Gary Player (who does not need an introduction) was South Africa´s team leader and went out to the course to support his golfers. Everyone wanted to talk to him about his past tournaments, his career with so many unbelievable major championships wins, and even to hear his stories with Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, especially always with a smile on his face. When I saw him for the first time, I literally froze and couldn´t move a muscle…until he came up to me and asked if I played golf. Gary Player is the impeccable image of golf and every golfer strives to be like him.

For the second round, some of the favorite players to win a gold medal were already moving up the leaderboard trying to reach Marcus Fraser. British Open winner Henrik Stenson was making great improvements, and Masters Champion Danny Willett started his round under par. My personal favorite Danish player Thorbjorn Olesen also went from 30^th place to 8^th place and he was pretty content with his round. We talked for a few minutes about his good shots and he was happy to know I was a fan.

Sunday was the last round and it's a very bittersweet moment because everyone wants to know who is going to receive the gold medal, but also don´t want the competition to end. We are expected to have 12,000 spectators tomorrow for the grand finale.

 

 

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August 10, 2016

Bom dia, Aces! The Olympics have finally begun and I cannot contain my excitement for the start of the golf competition this week!

Golf players from all over the world arrived in Rio throughout the past week, and our team has been working really hard to show the athletes what a fantastic golf course Rio de Janeiro has.

On the first day that the Olympic Golf Course was open, I gave the players a quick tour of the clubhouse, so they had a better sense of how the facility works. The clubhouse is composed of five buildings with different functions. One of the buildings is for the International Golf Federation in which players check in and register. There is a medical center, and even a fitness facility where players warm up, exercise and receive physical therapy if necessary. The competition management office, where everything related to the golf course management and volunteers administration take place. There is an athletes and caddie´s locker room for their own personal use. The last building of the clubhouse is the Athletes Lounge, where the golfers gather to eat, relax and get access to the internet and watch other Olympic events on big screens. This area is also the Sports Information Desk where I´m working as the coordinator!

Throughout this week, many players and team leaders have come up to my desk and asked for information about their competition schedules, practice times and tee time schedules for the official practice rounds before the tournament starts on Thursday.  One of the best things about my office is that it has a an outstanding view from the 1^st hole tee box and the 18^th green. I do not want to brag but my office has the best view from the clubhouse so far.

The highlight of this week so far has been meeting Séamus Power, a golfer from Ireland who currently plays for the Web.Com Tour (access to the PGA Tour). I gave him a tour of the clubhouse and showed him where the practice area and the holes next to the clubhouse were. Séamus was very friendly and when I asked if he was enjoying Rio, he said he was loving the city and couldn´t wait to play at the Olympic Golf Course representing Ireland.

Funny thing was that I was recognizing him from somewhere, and then it hit me! Séamus played at Victoria National in Newburgh this year for the United Leasing Championship event for the Web.Com Tour, and I watched him play on the last round of the tournament, and he won! I mentioned Victoria National to him, and he was all smiles and saying what a small world it is for both us to be in Evansville and Rio de Janeiro for golf. I´ll be cheering for him this week!

Round 1 is going to start on 7:30 am tomorrow, and the first group to tee off will consist of Korean player Byeonghun An, Canadian Graham DeLaet, and Adilson da Silva, our very own Brazilian player who has the best world ranking from Brazil. He will be the first person teeing off, not only to start the competition, but also to give the first golf shot after one hundred and twelve years of absence in the Olympics. I´ll be watching him play from the best seat of the entire course...my office!
 

 

 

 

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August 2, 2016

Hello, Aces fans! Welcome to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games!

My name is Giulia Mallmann, and I am a junior playing for the Women´s Golf team at University of Evansville. In just a few days, the Olympic Games are going to start, and everyone is thrilled to watch their favorite sports. While many athletes were waiting for this moment for four years to compete for an Olympic medal, golfers have been waiting for one hundred and twelve years! Golf has not been an Olympic modality since 1904, and it´s really exciting for me that the sport will be back in my native city of Rio de Janeiro!

In every Olympic games, thousands of people apply for being volunteers and helping at the games, venues, and even airports to greet people from all over the world to watch this glorious sports festivity. Knowing that golf would be back at the Olympic Games, I applied on the very first day to volunteer at the Olympic Golf Course. It was a VERY long process, and I was praying that my application would be reviewed. After seven long months of waiting (and thousands of times checking my email) I received my approval letter. I was supposed to be working with results, which it would be monitoring the scores of the players at a single hole. But something even better happened...

Some of the people I have volunteered with at LPGA, Web.Com, and PGA LatinAmerica events in Brazil were also going to work with golf as managers at the Olympic Games this year, and a few times they asked for my help to basically just run some errands, and help them in any way when I were free. One day, they invited me to go to the OGC to help them. For my surprise, they offered me a job! Like a real job...AT THE OLYMPICS! I was ecstatic and I accepted it on the spot. This would be my very first job so I was in an emotional rollercoaster for a whole week after I got the news.

My position at the Olympic Golf Course is Sports Information Coordinator. I am responsible for coordinating the sports information desks for athletes, the International Golf Federation, and National Olympic Committees. The coordinator has to manage and provide the tee time sheets, starts lists, weather information, intermediate and official results, and other sports documents. I will be working inside the venue at the athletes lounge. The best part is that while I´m working at the lounge, I will be face-to-face with the best golfers in the world for two whole weeks!! I just can´t wait for the moment when Rickie Fowler comes up to my desk and asks for information about his tee time, or scheduling a practice session for Mariajo Uribe, or even just saying 'Good luck' to Masters Champion Danny Willett is going to make my day.

I´ve been working for a week now, but I can already say that this is going to be the best experience for working at pro golf tour management after graduation. This job at the Olympics is one step closer to working at my dream job at the PGA Tour, but right now I can only think about what a great event we are preparing at the course this year, and how many people are going to enjoy this new sport debuting at the Olympics.

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Attending a prestigious institution like the University of Evansville opens up many doors.  For women's golfer Giulia Mallmann, she will be working with one of the most prestigious entities in the world – the Olympic Games.
 
Mallmann, a native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, returned home this summer to work with the 2016 Olympic Games in her native city.  The opportunity is especially special for Mallmann because for the first time since 1904, golf will be an official Olympic event.
 
Her experience will be primarily in public relations with the golf event.  Keep track of this page over the next few weeks for updates and photos from Mallmann's time working the games.  Everyone in Evansville is proud of her and excited to see things from her point of view!
 

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