HONOLULU (AP) -- Golf appears to be in much better shape to join the Olympic program for 2016 than when it tried earlier this decade for the 2008 Games, mainly because of its unified support.

That includes PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, who was lukewarm to the idea six years ago.

So why the change of heart?

Finchem alluded to the "missing answer" to a question of how to quantify how golf in the Olympics would generate support around the world for the game to grow. He said a study was completed a year ago that evaluated financial resources from various governments.

"There's over 100 countries where government supports sport in those countries, but only sports that are in Olympic programs," he said. "So if golf is added to the Olympic program, those federations will immediately start giving financial support to help build the game. That's what turned us from looking at it just from a standpoint of what the competition meant to the overall mix in professional golf.

"We are persuaded that we need to grow golf around the globe," he said. "And this is a very positive step."

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