Spieth Says No to Playing Golf in Olympics
Published on July 12 2016 6:23 am
Last Updated on July 12 2016 6:23 am
By ESPN
Jordan Spieth dealt golf's return to the Olympics yet another blow Monday, telling International Golf Federation officials just before a news conference that he would not be playing next month in Brazil.
Spieth joins Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy in deciding to skip the Games, mostly due to concerns about the Zika virus that is prevalent in Rio de Janeiro. That means the top four players will be absent from the 60-player field, which was to be finalized following Sunday's update to the Official World Golf Ranking.
Matt Kuchar will replace Spieth for the United States, which will have Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson and Patrick Reed as its representatives because they are all ranked among the top 15 in the world.
Spieth, who was playing a practice round for The Open on Monday, is expected to discuss his decision during a Tuesday news conference.
"It's certainly disappointing that we've had so many withdrawals on the men's side,'' Peter Dawson, former head of the R&A and the president of the International Golf Federation, said during a news conference at Royal Troon.
The men will be represented by seven of the top 13 players in the world, with Watson at No. 5 being the highest-ranked. Among the other top 13 players going to Rio are Henrik Stenson, Masters champion Danny Willett, Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia.
