While there are many sports or games in the world which can be brought into question of being defined as a ‘sport’, it’s not often we see golf questioned but that’s exactly what Jon Rahm and Tom McKibbin had put to them after round one of LIV Riyadh.
Golf has been known as a sport pretty much since time began and the suggestion that such a game of high skill and certain athletic needs isn’t, is quite odd.
However, after both Rahm and McKibbin had completed their opening round of LIV Riyadh, the duo had it put to them to respond to people who suggested that golf was indeed not a sport.
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Jon Rahm and Tom McKibbin explain why golf is a sport
While answering standard questions about the opening round in Saudi Arabia, the interview bizarrely turned to golf being a sport or not.
In a change of tact, a reporter asked the following:
“I know a lot of people say that golf isn’t a sport; obviously it is. But what would you tell these people? What do you think makes golf a sport?
And in trying to issue a response, both McKibbin and Rahm defended the game of golf.
“I don’t know, maybe it isn’t a sport. I don’t know,” McKibbin started.
“I guess that we probably just train very hard like other athletes. We try and look after ourselves the best we can, and we’re always sort of looking for that 1 percent to get better. I think golfers are never really satisfied and we’re always trying to push to get better.
“I think for people like us, there’s a lot of hard work and a lot of training that goes into it, which to me would make that a sport maybe. If you just play once a week and walk around, maybe not. But I think there’s a lot of hard work that goes in there and a lot of hours to say it’s not a sport.”
Building on the comments from McKibbin, Rahm also appeared a touch baffled and defended the athleticism of pro golfers.
“I mean, I think he touched a lot of points there, but it’s also a level of skill and athleticism you need to have to be able to move your body in a certain way to hit a golf ball for 300 yards accurately. I think there’s a lot of moving parts that go into the game of golf. You need to have some — you need to have either a very good understanding of your body, a very good understanding what your hands are doing at all times, hand-eye coordination is very needed because unlike other sports the ball is not moving, so it’s all up to what you’re doing. What you’re doing is completely deterministic of what the ball is going to do,” Rahm said.
“All of that needs to be developed within a reputation. Maybe we’re not running, maybe we’re not jumping, maybe you don’t need to physically do all those things very well, but there’s certain turns, turn rotations, certain sequences, hand movements that you need to be very precise at to be able to accomplish what we’re accomplishing.
“Maybe we’re not doing the same physical effort in a sport, but mentally I would put it up there with a lot of them, and maybe the smaller physical — like more detailed physical skills, as well. There’s a lot that goes into it.”
What defines an activity as a sport?
According to the Oxford dictionary, golf seems to fit very much in the framework of what is a sport.
“An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment,” is the official definition.
Given the mentions of skill and competing against others is obvious, it would appear golf is very much a sport.
In terms of other sports over the years that have faced the same questions, the likes of darts, snooker and bowls have all had the same comments labelled at them.
As for golf, it very much is a ‘sport’ and Rahm and McKibbin’s comments here are spot on.
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