The reintroduction of men's golf at the Rio Games has "officially lost a player," as Vijay Singh has informed officials in his native Fiji he "will not participate," according to Rex Hoggard of GOLFCHANNEL.com. Singh said, "The timing of it, you know I have to focus over here (on the PGA Tour). I would like to play the Olympics, but the Zika virus, you know and all that crap." Hoggard noted there had long been "speculation that not every player who qualifies for the Olympics will play." Singh earlier had said that he "was looking forward to representing Fiji." Meanwhile, Miguel Angel Jimenez, the first alternate for Spain, also has "withdrawn his name from the Olympic pool" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 4/12). Hoggard said the “biggest thing” for Singh's withdrawal is that he "doesn’t feel comfortable with his game right now." He is "still working through a lot of things, and it’s in the middle of a very busy season on the PGA Tour." Hoggard: "He felt like it was the better option for him to pass on the Olympics and focus on the Tour” ("Morning Drive," Golf Channel, 4/13).
