The Obamas are in Copenhagen lobbying for Chicago to host the 2016 Olympics, but will golf be voted in?

The final push for the 2016 Olympic Summer Games is on. The Olympic committee will vote on the host city October 2nd in Copenhagen, and also vote to determine if golf should make its re-entry into the games.

President Obama and the First Lady are both in Copenhagen this week pushing for their hometown of Chicago. The three other finalist cities are Madrid, Tokyo and Rio de Janiero. Madrid and Chicago would make the most sense for golf’s entry in to the Olympics, with Cog Hill in Chicago available and numerous good courses surrounding Madrid.

Tokyo and Rio have golf, but Japan famously has a shortage of available golf courses and the golf culture in Brazil by all accounts isn’t too developed, I’m guessing it’s because the polo shirts ruin your beach tan.

Golf in the Olympics makes absolute perfect sense, and I can’t understand why it’s not a gimmie. It’s too late to be included in the 2012 London games, and that’s a shame, because there are some wonderful links courses around London, like Royal St. George’s, that would have been a fitting introduction of golf’s origins on links courses to the world.

For starters, there’s no doping culture in golf and there won’t be any judging scandals like in boxing or gymnastics. It’s quite possibly the easiest, most transparent game to score on Earth besides “H.O.R.S.E.” And last I checked, faking passport information doesn’t give you a leg up in golf. So if China wins a medal, it will be legit (I’m still stewing over the He Kexin controversy in Beijing).

And perhaps most importantly, golf is a global sport. The Ryder Cup Matches and Solheim Cup are two of the sports world’s greatest events because they’re passionate, patriotic displays from both the players and the fans. And this wouldn’t just be a medal grab for the United States like softball. The following countries would have legitimate shots at medals in either men’s or women’s golf: USA, Australia, South Korea, South Africa, United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, Japan, Taiwan and more.

Women’s golf would especially be a benefactor, considering its strong Asian players and market. These women need all the global stages they can get to bring sponsors back to the LPGA Tour. The recent Solheim Cup was a step in the right direction for exposure, and they need more of that. They’re overdue for a USA-South Korea match play competition…

Lastly, it sounds like the PGA Tour and the world’s best golfers are on board. Baseball won’t be a sport in the coming years, largely because the game’s best players didn’t compete. With Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods lobbying for the games, it’s safe to say they’ll tee it up and so will other country’s best golfers. Jack Nicklaus has no gold medal, so we know Tiger would want to one-up him in that category.

Here’s hoping golf-loving Obama tangents from his Olympics in Chicago message to suggest golf will help the 2016 games as well. Surely Tiger Woods sent him a reminder email to his Blackberry this week.

The committee will vote on whether to include golf in 2016 on October 9th.