“Look, there’s parts of golf that are and parts that aren’t [a sport]. I wouldn’t react in an insensitive way to this question. Physically, golf is obviously not super-demanding. There’s not a lot of contact and, you know, no one is running a marathon.

But the hand-eye coordination involved in hitting a certain kind of shot, like hitting a drive 320 yards down a tree-lined narrow fairway, or a delicate pitch shot from behind a sloped green, or simply the tiny movements within the swing is what makes it athletic and challenging and a sport. In the end, there’s no real answer, and I don’t think it matters in the end because golf has strong, loyal fans.”