World number two golfer Dustin Johnson served another blow to Olympic golf
as he announced to withdraw from next month’s Rio Olympics because of fears over the Zika virus. The 32-year-old American joins world number one Jason Day, fourth-ranked Rory McIlroy and world number eight Adam Scott as top 10 golfers who have opted out of Rio where golf is return to the Olympics for the first time since 1904.
“This was not an easy decision for me, but my concerns about the Zika Virus cannot be
ignored,” Johnson said in a statement. “Paulina (his Fiancée, the editor) and I plan to have more children in the near future, and I feel it would be irresponsible to put myself, her or our family at risk.”
Having won the U.S. Open and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in his last two starts, Johnson is currently “the hottest golfer in the world”, according to Reuters. He is the first American to remove his name from consideration, though third-ranked Jordan Spieth has said he is “uncertain” about going. South Africans Branden Grace and Louis Oosthuizen along with Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama have also declined to make the trip.
This story first appeared in the blog, The Sport Intern. The editor is Karl-Heinz Huba of Lorsch, Germany. He can be reached at ISMG@aol.com. The article is reprinted here with permission of Huba.