SYDNEY, April 17: The PGA of Australia said Thursday it supported USPGA Tour boss Tim Finchem’s call for golf to be included in the Olympic Games.

Finchem said this week he would like to see golf be a part of the 2012 Olympics, with decisions on the programme for the London Games to be made next year. He said golf’s inclusion would help the development of the game around the world and improve relations between the sport’s global governing bodies.

Max Garske, head of the PGA of Australia, said he was gratified that after years of speculation, a major push for Olympic golf had begun anew.

“The topic has been discussed previously but for many reasons never came to fruition, so it is exciting for the sport to now be moving forward with a collective push to see golf represented in the Olympic arena,” he said.

“The Olympic Games is the pinnacle for any athlete and to see the golfers given the opportunity to compete at such a massive event would be fantastic exposure for the sport,” he added in a statement.—AFP