Golf in the Olympics has certainly divided opinion. Some of the game’s leading lights have embraced the prospect of golfing for gold with enthusiastic gusto, others have greeted it with the kind of shrugging indifference you tend to adopt when offered one of those free magazines outside a train station. Catriona Matthew will reserve judgement for now. "I'm probably on the fence as far as golf being in the Olympics is concerned,” said the decorated Scot of the sport’s impending return to the Games for the first time since 1904. “To be honest, I'd probably rather win a US Open, but that might change in the eyes of players once golf has been part of the Olympics for a few years.”
At 46, Matthew is hardly likely to get another crack at the Games after Rio in 2016 and, should she qualify for Team GB, then it will be another notable addition to a shimmering cv. As it stands, Matthew and English youngster Charley Hull will represent Britain in Brazil as the leading home players on the world rankings.
Despite her initial inclination of fence sitting, Matthew is hoping to be perched on the podium next summer. As she embarks on her 22nd year as a touring professional, the Olympics will be very much the goal. She’s not ready for retirement yet, but Matthew knows that Faither Time still boasts an unbeaten record. “I’m also getting a Lifetime Achievement award in March which will be great even if it makes me feel as though I’m getting old,” said the former Women’s British Open champion with a smile. "Rio will be a big goal next year,” added Matthew. "As I come towards the end of my career, it is a great opportunity. It's the only chance I'm going to have. Who knows? Olympic golf could become the biggest thing in the women's game and I'd certainly like to win a medal in it. It's difficult to say how winning Olympic gold would be to winning the Women's British Open. Right now, I'd say the major but that might change. I wouldn't say next year is going to necessarily be my last hurrah. I'm not someone who sets deadlines. But the travel doesn’t get any easier. That makes it more difficult and competition is also tougher. But as long as I'm enjoying it and playing well, I will still be out there.”
With a disciplined, dedicated regime, Matthew still has plenty of fuel left in the tank even if the women’s game is being dominated by sprightly young things like 18-year-old Lydia Ko. At the other end of the age spectrum, meanwhile, Juli Inkster proved that age is no barrier to success as she won the Legends Championship at 55-last season. "I suppose the person I look to in terms of longevity on tour is Juli,” noted Matthew. “She's probably played and stayed competitive on tour longer than anyone else. As you get older you need to keep in shape. I think you can see that from the ones that do well later in their careers. I'm in the gym four times a week these days. You've got to be fit to keep up with these youngsters, especially when you are 30 years older than some of them.”
Inkster was the captain of the US Solheim Cup team which won a controversial clash with Europe in Germany. The palaver caused by ‘gimme-gate’, when Suzann Pettersen refused to concede a putt, certainly livened things up. Matthew, who made her eighth appearance in the biennial battle and will be a strong candidate for the captain’s job when Gleneagles hosts the match in 2019, is adamant no long term damage was done. There’s no such thing as bad publicity, after all
“The Solheim Cup was trending at No 1 on Twitter so I wouldn't say that was damaging,” she said. “Suzann took a lot of flak, too much in my opinion. In hindsight, the captains could probably have handled it a bit better but it is difficult when you are right in the thick of it. For me, playing in the Solheim Cup at Gleneagles in 2019 might be a little too far away, to be honest but the captaincy would be a natural progression.”
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