Canadian Mike Weir said he believes that including golf as an Olympic event would help the game grow as a global sport.

 

He is backed by a new poll published by Sports Marketing Surveys Ltd, which found that just over 50 per cent of the public backed golf being part of the Olympics.

 

Weir, the 2003 Master's champion, said that watching the Beijing Olympics on television had made him think that it would be exciting to be part of the parade of athletes during the Games' opening ceremony.

 

He said: "It would be a thrill.

 

"It would be an honour to represent your country in the Olympics.

 

"I think it would be great for the game."

 

The endorsement of Weir, who has so far won $2.7 million (£1.5 million) this year, is important because it the perception among many members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is that the top players, including Tiger Woods, are not commited to the idea of the sport being part of the Games programme.

 

The 38-year-old said: "By the time it passes I might be senior tour material, but hopefully I'll still be competitive enough to play.

 

"It would be something to work towards if we knew it was out there, the apple out there in seven or eight years."

 

In August, Phil Mickelson, a winner of three Majors, had claimed that if golf was admitted it to the Olympics it would be the most prestigious tournament in the sport to win.

 

Golf is one of seven sports hoping to be elected onto the programme the IOC Session in Copenhagen in October 2009 alongside baseball, karate, roller sports, rugby sevens, squash and softball.