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The heartbreaking nature of sport isn’t just consigned this week to France in the European Football Championships: it’s all but certain Karrie Web will miss out on the 2016 Olympic Games.
Webb is Australia’s most successful female golfer, with 41 Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) titles including seven majors.
This week after the Women’s US Open, Webb’s fate was sealed – she would not be going to the Rio Olympics.
She slipped outside Australian women golf’s top two for the first time in her career.
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In fact, it was only in June last year where she lost her number one Australian ranking, for the first time since 2006 when the Women’s Golf Rankings first came into existence. Even since 1995, when she debuted on the European tour Webb was regarded as Australia’s number one female golfer.
Ironically, a young woman that she helped to mentor – Minjee Lee – would take over her mantle.
For just over 20 years Webb reigned over Australian Women’s golf, and just as a chance beckoned to play at her first Olympics, it was snatched away from her at the last minute. Sport can be so cruel, or for Su Oh, the young woman who took her spot, it can be so magnificent. Perspective matters.
It was just last month that 20-year old Oh overtook Webb to be Australia’s number two ranked female golfer, and take the second and final spot for Rio. Oh will get her chance to shine, there are no doubts about that. But, you have to feel for Karrie, didn’t she deserve a shot at the Olympics after all she has done.
The last time women’s golf was at the Olympics was in 1900, they didn’t even get a run in 1904 when golf last appeared at the games. Their event was removed in favour of a men’s team event.
And finally in 2016, when golf makes a return to the Olympic stage, Karrie Webb, who has been the beacon of Australia women’s golf for the last twenty years won’t be there. If there was anyone more deserving of this moment it was Webb.
Her charity work over her career was outstanding. From 2000 to 2002 she hosted the Karrie Webb Celebrity Pro-Am tournament with funds going towards the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.
In 2009 she donated 50 free tickets for spectators to attend LGPA golfing events and if all that wasn’t enough in 2011 she donated $100,000 of her prize money from her 2011 RR Donnelley Founder Cup win to the Reeve Foundation.
In an age where women’s sport doesn’t receive as much publicity as their male counterparts, not many would know all of this.
Karrie would be gutted that there will be no Olympic dream for her – unless she decides to stay on until 2020 and even if she does, Karrie would still need to be playing well enough to qualify.
Webb will recognise the incredible opportunity this is for both Minjee Lee and Su Oh. Whatever the result in Rio, if they can do themselves proud and their country proud, they will do Karrie proud.