Olympic Golf Gets Rolling in Rio

(ATR) Brazilian Adilson da Silva opened the Rio 2016 golf tournament with his opening tee shot at 7:30 a.m. on the 604-yard, par five, first hole.

The 44-year-old Brazilian from Santa Cruz Do Sol took an easy swing and found the fairway. Doing so, he started the first Olympic golf tournament in 112 years.

Canadian Graham Delaet was next up, welcomed into the first group as the last time an Olympic tournament was played in St. Louis 1904, his countryman Canadian George Lyon won gold.

Korean Byeonghun An rounded out the opening threesome. An is aiming to match the Olympic accomplishment of his parents, both of whom won medals in table tennis at the Seoul 1988 Games.

Looking on at the first tee were International Golf Federation leaders Peter Dawson, Antony Scanlon and Ty Votaw. Overcast skies could not dampen the mood as twenty threesomes of 60 golfers are take on the par 71, 7,128-yard Reserva De Marapendi course.

Delaet and da Silva barely missed their birdie putts on the first green, while An’s short par putt lipped out and he had to settle for an opening bogey.

The 24-year-old An, who resides in Orlando, Florida, rebounded from his bogey quickly making back-to-back birdies on holes two and three to nab the early lead.

The second group included two-time major champion Padraig Harrington (IRL) and Matteo Manassero (ITA), both of whom accompanied Dawson at the IOC session in Denmark in 2009 when golf was voted back into the Games.

Supporting da Silva out on the course was Brazilian Golf team leader Niko Barcellos.

"It’s a dream come true for Adilson to hit the first Olympic tee shot in 112 years," Barcellos told Around the Rings out on the course. "If it wasn’t for the Olympics we’d never have a course like this here."

Walking with and covering the first group was veteran NBC Sports reporter Roger Maltbie.

Maltbie said he "never ever" thought that he would be reporting on golf at the Olympics. "Players didn’t grow dreaming about making birdie putts at the Olympics," Maltbie told ATR on the fifth fairway. "It’s good for golf and will only get better."

The stands at the first tee gradually became busier and louder as group by group took to the new course. British, American and German flags were waved along the first tee as Danny Willett, Matt Kuchar and Bubba Watson, and Martin Kaymer hit their opening tee shots.

The early leader on the course is Australian Marcus Fraser, who is five under after 11 holes. Fraser carded a 31 on the front nine. Delaet and An also shot 31 on the opening nine and are one stroke behind Fraser.

Written by Brian Pinelli at Reserva de Marapendi

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