Top golfers keep falling out of Olympics over Zika concerns
While speculation is rife about the importance of golf at the Olympic Games, the world’s top golfers are citing concerns over the Zika virus as the main reason behind their withdrawals.
World number one Jason Day of Australia withdrew on Tuesday citing the danger of the virus, giving credence to the theory that the pinnacle of golf does not lie at the Olympic showpiece.
Over the last week, four-time Major champion Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland announced his unavailability as a flood of withdrawals persists. The top three ranked South Africans – Branden Grace (12th), Louis Oosthuizen (14th), Charl Schwartzel (24th) – have all pulled out of the competition in Rio.
Day like the other high-profile golfers stuck to the popular theme.
"The sole reason for my decision is my concerns about the possible transmission of the Zika virus and the potential risks that it may present to my wife’s future pregnancies and to future members of our family," Day said in a statement. "I have always placed my family in front of everything else in my life.”
Shane Lowry of Ireland also withdrew on Tuesday.
"With Rory and myself pulling, I don’t know if that will trigger anyone else," Day said. "It’s not my decision. … Some guys are in different situations. Some guys are younger and single and can take that chance, and some guys are in the same situation as me and have children or going to have children, get married and stuff like that. It’s a difficult one for those guys.
"I wouldn’t be pulling out just because it’s not safe or something like that down there, because I’ve never been down to Brazil and I don’t know if it is safe or not," Day said at the Bridgestone Invitational last month. "I’m withdrawing from the Olympics because of the Zika, and that’s the main reason here, because I just don’t want to put my family at risk because of it.”
Double Major champion and World number two Jordan Spieth of America appeared undecided on his participation on Wednesday. He said he was not sure if it was safe to travel to Rio and would need more information from his management team before he made a definite decision.
Earlier this year, Australian Adam Scott was the first top-10 player to withdraw, but he simply said the Olympics were not his priority.