For Olympic golfers, it's an odd feeling being just a part of the show

For Danny Willett, it’s strange and exciting to be a player in golf’s return to the Olympic games. It’s exciting because he’s been able to have meals and conversations with some of the greatest British athletes. It’s been strange because golf is, well, small potatoes on the Olympic program of 28 sports.

“When you’re at a major, that is the one thing going on. You’ve got 200,000 people flocking just to watch 18 holes of golf,” Willett said Monday in Rio de Janeiro.

“Whereas out here, I don’t know how many sports there are in the Olympics, 28, we’re a very small percentage.”

Spectators have been banned from the Olympic golf course until the tournament begins, meaning that the preparation for this event — the first time golf has been in the Games in 112 years — has probably felt more like U.S. Open sectional qualifying than an Olympic event.

“It’s kind of funny in that way, usually we’re signing autographs and every day, out on the golf course, takes you an extra 45 minutes to sign stuff,” he said. “It’s quite nice in that respect. And then like you say, me and Rosey (Justin Rose) play today. … You’re chatting golf, you’re throwing some golf down and you’ve not got the whole parade of 15,000 people watching, cheering on things. You’re just there back to playing golf.”

However, Willett believes that golf will step into the spotlight come Sunday when the men’s final round determines three medals, as well again the following Saturday when the women’s tournament concludes. That’s when that crowd of up to 15,000 may well show up.

“I think from Sunday, when there’s, say, seven or eight guys coming down the stretch, in top three place,” he said, “I think you’re going to see a very different spin on it.”

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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