Many have criticized the addition of golf in the Olympic Games. It is said to be meaningless, and that no one should be considering it a big name tournament since many of the top players could potentially be missing from the field.

Don't share any of these criticisms with Fabian Gomez, who has locked up an invitation into all of the majors this season, but it's an invitation to Rio that excites him most.

“I'm really excited about being able to get in the Olympics,” Gomez said after winning the Sony Open on Sunday. “My main goal, I work hard to be able to win, but I know that by winning I will be able to reach that.”

The 37 year old from Argentina secured an invitation to the Masters after winning the FedEx St. Jude Classic last year, and likely locked up a spot in the US Open and Open Championship, as well. For a player like Gomez, whose start in last year's PGA Championship was his first in a major, this would typically be a cause for celebration. Representing his country in Rio, however, is what will truly cause Gomez to pop the champagne.

It is easy to criticize golf's inclusion into the Olympics, especially if we are a fan of American golfers. After all, American golf fans have enjoyed multiple major champions over the past several years. To them, the idea that a tournament may not include someone like Zach Johnson, fresh off his Open Championship victory, is preposterous. Golf fans in the United States and Europe have been told that the Ryder Cup is the ultimate tournament to play for your country, and therefore an event like the Olympics doesn't hold the weight that it should.

For players like Gomez, or Hideki Matsuyama, or Danny Lee, or any golfer from a smaller country, the Olympics may be a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Snedeker On The Upswing

Brandt Snedeker, who forced a playoff with Gomez with a birdie on the 72nd hole, may be leaving Hawaii a little disappointed. After all, he had a relatively simple birdie putt on the first playoff hole that would have secured his eighth PGA Tour victory, and he misread it. Snedeker had plenty of opportunities to put away the tournament, but was unable to do so.

Still, it's a far cry from where Snedeker was a month ago, when he was missing three cuts in a row, including the disastrous Australian PGA Championship. Snedeker finished inside the top five in both of his starts in Hawaii, and returns to the mainland with plenty of momentum. He currently sits 24th in the Official World Golf Rankings and he crawls closer to making the Ryder Cup team. Snedeker has always been a player that goes through peaks and valleys, and he appears to be in the middle of a peak.

Si Woo Kim Proves He Belongs

Back in 2012, 17 year old Si Woo Kim from South Korea entered the PGA Tour Q-School on a bit of a whim. He ended up earning his PGA Tour card, but because of the PGA Tour's rule restricting membership to players older than 18, Kim had to wait until June in order to officially accept his membership card. At that point, it was almost impossible for Kim to hold on to his card, and he was forced to play on the Web.com Tour for a few years.

It ended up being the best thing to happen to him.

After winning once on the Web.com Tour last season and earning his PGA Tour card once more, Kim has quickly proven that he deserves his place on Tour. In six starts during the wrap-around season, Kim has made four cuts, all four of which are top 25 finishes. This weeks solo fourth place finish is Kim's best finish on the PGA Tour, and gets him inside the top 200 in the OWGR for the first time in his career. At 20 years old, Kim already has the experience of a seasoned professional, and the arrow appears to be pointing up on him and his career.

Fountain Of Youth In Hawaii

Players over 50 found some success in Hawaii this week. It began with 52 year old Vijay Singh, who got us all believing something special might be in the works after an opening round 63 found him tied for the lead. He was unable to keep up the pace, but his final round 67 should give him some confidence heading into his Champions Tour start next week. 51 year old Davis Love III made the initial cut on Friday, but a third round 71 made him miss the secondary Saturday cut by a stroke. 

Still, they all look like young kids compared to Fred Funk who turns 60 next month. Funk book ended the week with a pair of 65s to finish T42. Funk said he is devoting this year to playing exclusively on the Champions Tour, and that the Sony Open may be his only PGA Tour start of the year. Funk may be having second thoughts after this week.