Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - There is beauty in the simple details of having golf as an Olympic sport.
Indeed, with the right format and qualification process, there are few sports better-fit for international competition.
Golf hasn't been a part of the Olympics since 1904, but that will soon change following a vote Friday by members of the International Olympic Committee in which golf joined rugby as the newest additions to the Olympic program.
Both sports will be added to the competition schedule for the newly-announced Rio de Janeiro Summer Games in 2016. They will also be included in 2020.
While the details have yet to be hashed out, the proposal by the International Golf Federation -- the body responsible for golf's successful Olympic bid -- looks promising.
The IGF recommended a 72-hole individual stroke-play format for both the men and women, mirroring the standard practice for most pro tours worldwide. Gold, silver and bronze medals would be awarded to the top three finishers, with a three-hole playoff proposed in the case of ties.
This is exactly the correct format for golf's first Olympic appearance in more than 100 years.
It would be much easier to create an Olympic tournament that awards individual medals rather than team medals, which would, presumably, have to be determined in a match-play format.
Creating a match-play tournament would leave some top stars potentially without a teammate. Who, for example, would join Vijay Singh on the Fijian team?
In a stroke-play format, players from the same country would compete against each other as they do in other individual events like swimming and tennis. But they would also, in a larger sense, be members of the same teams, vying for medals that would count towards their country's overall count.
A stroke-play format would also be a way to ease the sport back into the Olympics program. Top players are used to traveling overseas for 72-hole tournaments, and many regularly do so.
The IGF also recommended a field of 60 players for both the men and women, with participation to be determined by the world rankings. The proposal calls for the top 15 players in the rankings to earn automatic berths, regardless of the number of players from a given country.
In the October 5 world rankings, the United States had seven players among the top 15, led by No. 1 Tiger Woods and No. 2 Phil Mickelson. England had two players, while Sweden, Ireland, Spain, Australia, Germany and Fiji each had one.
In the women's top 15, No. 1 Lorena Ochoa of Mexico was joined by five South Koreans, four Americans, and one player each from Norway, Taiwan, Australia, Japan and Sweden.
The remaining field would be culled in accordance to the rankings, with a maximum of two players eligible from each country that did not already have at least two players ranked among the top 15.
A look at the latest world rankings showed at least 30 countries would be represented on both the men's and women's side. Every inhabited continent would have a representative.
The simplicity of these proposals -- as well as golf's worldwide appeal -- is why the sport makes such an attractive addition to the Olympics. One of the reasons baseball and softball were dropped following the Beijing Games last summer was that those sports only appealed to a narrow base of competing countries.
Golf is especially gaining a foothold in the growing Asian market. The LPGA Tour -- where South Koreans have emerged as a dominant group -- and European Tour regularly hold events on the continent. The European Tour visited India for the first time in recent years.
Peter Dawson, chief executive of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club, which holds the British Open, called it a "very significant day for golf."
"In addition to those golfers who will have an opportunity to compete as Olympic athletes, we are excited for the national golf federations that will reap the benefits from today's decision in terms of growth and support within their countries," said Dawson, who also serves as joint secretary of the IGF.
Dawson's co-secretary, former LPGA Tour commissioner Ty Votaw, also stressed the implications the decision will have on golf.
"It's going to take our sport to new hearts and minds around the world," said Votaw, who has been the de-facto point man for the U.S. in the Olympic bidding process.
Along with the IGF officials, several top stars traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark, to make last-minute presentations to aid their sport's chances.
Ireland's Padraig Harrington, Norway's Suzann Pettersen, U.S. star Michelle Wie and 16-year-old British Amateur champion Matteo Manassero of Italy all made the trip; while Woods and South Africa's Ernie Els -- competing at the Presidents Cup -- appeared in videos.
All of those players except Manassero would currently qualify for the Olympics based on the world rankings.
And it might be just that type of support from top stars -- especially Woods -- that put golf over the top and into its rightful position as an Olympic sport. (It was approved by a 63-27 majority, while rugby was voted in 81-8.)
"I think it's great for golf," Woods said from the Presidents Cup. "It's a perfect fit for the Olympics, and I think we are all looking forward to golf getting into the Olympics."
The next challenge will be ensuring that top stars travel to Brazil in seven years to play. The Rio Games are scheduled for August 5-21, falling in the same time period as the PGA Championship and the start of the FedEx Cup playoffs on the PGA Tour. There is also a Ryder Cup scheduled for that year, where the best men's players from the U.S. and Europe will compete.
On Friday, positive responses from Woods and others at the Presidents Cup, where the U.S. is facing a team of international players, seemed to indicate a willingness among golf's best.
Posting on her Twitter page after the decision, Pettersen wrote simply: "We did it."
