American Olympic golfer only learned what the Olympics golf event format was 8 days before the first round

Stephen B. Morton/AP

The Olympic golf event hasn't gotten many ringing endorsements in its return to the games for the first time since 1904.

Several of the world's top golfers have dropped out due to fears over Zika. Adam Scott said playing in another 72-hole tournament with a weaker class didn't "pique [his] interest," while Rory McIlroy said he cares more about winning PGA events than Olympic medals.

On Wednesday, the golf event took another blow, albeit a small one, when American golfer Matt Kuchar, who will be playing in the Olympics, told ESPN's Jason Sobel that he only just learned the format of the event.

Tweet Embed:
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/760860752760766464
This is amazing: Just asked Matt Kuchar about Olympics. He thought it was team format. Didn't know individual stroke play. And he's playing.

The first round of the golf event is in eight days, starting on Thursday, August 11.

It's unclear if this revelation will sway Kuchar's decision to play in the games. At the very least, it's not encouraging for International Golf Federation to find out the 20th-ranked golfer in the world didn't even know what the format was until a week beforehand.

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