RIO DE JANEIRO -- Padraig Harrington has been a staunch supporter of Olympic golf, and on the eve of the 72-hole mens tournament, he opined that a number of high-profile players who elected to skip the event will rue their decision.The players who are here couldnt be more positive and couldnt be enjoying it more, Harrington said Wednesday at the Olympic Golf Course, where golf returns Thursday after a 112-year absence. I sense, as well, the players at home are pretty quiet on social media. You sense that maybe some of them would like to be here. Certainly I think some of them would definitely like to be here and they are missing out.Theres no doubt they are missing out, thats for sure. You just dont know where this game is going to lead and where they will be in four years time or eight years time or whether golf will be in the Olympics in eight years time.I cant say its a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because were obviously in the 2020 Games, but it may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a lot of people.The run-up to golfs return to the Olympics was filled with negativity; no sport saw more withdrawals among its players.The top four in the world -- Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy -- all elected to skip the Games. Other big names such as Adam Scott, Charl Schwartzel, Louis Oosthuizen and Graeme McDowell also elected to stay home.Harrington, 45, got a spot when McIlroy, Shane Lowry and McDowell all elected not to play for Ireland. And he was thrilled at the prospect, having taken a role in pitching golf to the International Olympic Committee when it was being considered in 2009.Back then, Harrington was ranked seventh in the world; he is now 128th.I absolutely thought I would be here, he said. But thats the nature of sport, when youre at the top of your game, you dont believe its ever going to change. You think its going to last forever. Hindsight says thats not true.It would be interesting about the athletes who turned down coming here this time. Some of them might not get the opportunity again. Youd be surprised how it does change. For me, clearly this is the opportunity of a lifetime. I feel good about my golf and where Im at with my golf, logically, will I get another chance in 2020?So this is an awfully big deal that Ive got an opportunity, and Im keen to take it.Harringtons wife and two sons made the journey to Rio, and they plan to stay next week to take in other Olympic sports.All the golfers here, everybody here is loving it, he said. I dont think Ive seen as much interaction between the players. Like at a major, there wouldnt be interaction between the players at all. Everybody is really going about their business. Here were going about our business, but everybody is talking about what they have seen and whats been happening and what they went to. Cheap Custom Spurs Jersey . -- PGA TOUR Canada member Steve Saunders took a three-stroke lead Saturday in the Web. Custom Spurs T-shirts . -- About a third of the way through the regular season, the Washington Wizards are at . http://www.customspursjersey.com/custom-sean-elliott-jersey-large-79t.html . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. Wholesale Custom Spurs Shirts . Pierce was ejected in the third quarter of Indianas 103-86 win Monday. George Hill stole a bad pass and was going in for a layup, and Pierce hustled back and appeared to be trying to wrap him up. Sean Elliott Jersey Large .C. -- Chris Thorburn thinks one of the reasons the Winnipeg Jets have been successful under new coach Paul Maurice is that theyre playing together as a team. TAMPA, Fla. -- The U.S. Air Force has apologized to Derek Jeter after an active-duty member posted a photo on Facebook of a citation issued to the retired New York Yankee shortstop for boating in a restricted area near MacDill Air Force Base on the Fourth of July.Jeter, who lives on Tampas Davis Islands, was stopped by Air Force security forces Monday and ticketed $250 plus a $30 processing fee.The issue came to light because of the Facebook posting.This action is totally inconsistent with Air Force values and the responsible airman will face the appropriate disciplinary action, MacDill spokesman Terry Montrose said in a news release. We sincerely apologize to Mr. Jeter for any inconvenience.Montrose declined to identify the airman Tuesday and said he didnt know whether the airman played a role in issuing the citation.ddddddddddddThe Tampa Bay Times (http://bit.ly/29qd9xs ) reports the post had two photos, one showing the citation and another that showed someone on a boat. The caption said, On behalf of the Boston Red Sox, here is your ticket Derek Jeter.Jeter, who retired from Major League Baseball in 2014, owns a 30,000-square-foot mansion that is about 5 miles by water northeast of the MacDill boundary.Signs posted some 1,000 meters from the shore warn boaters against entering the area. Montrose says its common for security forces to issue citations to boaters. He says its really easy to drift into those waters. ' ' '