COROWA golfer Marcus Fraser wants to shoot for Olympic gold on the greens of Rio.
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The 37-year-old has put his hand up to represent Australia in August following Marc Leishman’s withdrawal to care for his ill wife on Thursday.
“I think it would be fantastic,” he said.
The top two ranked Australian players will qualify for the Olympics, with the team to be finalised on July 11, three days before the British Open starts.
World No.1 Jason Day has signaled his intention to compete but with Adam Scott (No.7) and Leishman (No.35) bypassing the event, 63rd-ranked Fraser is next in line.
Fraser leads a tight race for the second spot on the team with Matt Jones (No.71) and Scott Hend (No.76) narrowly behind the three-time winner on the European Tour.
Golf will make its first Olympic appearance in more than a century at Rio after last featuring in the Games at St Louis in 1904.
While Scott preferred to focus on the sport’s four majors, Fraser said he “would be doing everything I can to get that last spot”.
“Obviously at the moment the pinnacle of golf is the major championships but, at the same time, if golf can stay in the Olympics, hopefully winning a gold medal would be right up there with winning a major championship,” he said.
“Golf is so different to athletics and swimming and those kinds of things, where the Olympics is the pinnacle of that sport.
“The more time golf spends in the Olympics, I think it will become that.
“There’s only one gold medal there every four years, so to have the chance to go and get that would be something pretty special. The majors are on every year.”
Fraser will compete in the Irish Open, starting on May 19, where he hopes a strong result can push him into the top 60 to qualify for the US Open in June.
He will play in the BMW PGA Championship from May 26, the Bridgestone Invitational from June 30 and the Scottish Open from July 7 before the Olympic team is finalised.
“There’s a few things that have to fall my way in the next couple of months,” he said.
“I’m in a strong position but, at the same time, I can’t control other guys playing well.
“I’ve got to get out there and make sure I do a good job of playing well myself.”
Wangaratta swimmer Belinda Hocking and Mulwala shooter James Willett have already qualified to compete at Rio.