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Olympic Golf To Be Without Top-Ranked Player As Jason Day Cites Zika For Withdrawal

Jason Day, the top-ranked golfer in the world, has "joined the exodus of top level golfers by pulling out" of the Rio Games due to concerns of the Zika virus, according to Ben Everill of the Melbourne AGE. Day had "long spoken of the desire to compete for Olympic gold" during golf's return to the Olympic program, but he made clear in a statement released this morning he "refuses to put his family at a health risk." Day "stressed his decision was purely health related." He hopes golf "remains an Olympic sport for years to come," and he "intends to push for selection again" during the '20 Tokyo Games (THEAGE.com.au, 6/28). The AP's Doug Ferguson reports Day "first expressed concern a month ago ... and said he had been consulting doctors so he could make a smart choice." Day's withdrawal comes a week after No. 4-ranked Rory McIlroy also cited Zika as the reason he will not play in Rio. Olympic golf losing two of its biggest stars adds "to the perception that the Olympics are not a high priority" (AP, 6/28). The following chart shows the top 15 golfers in the current world rankings and their status for the Rio Games, according to published reports. The 60-person field will be finalized July 11.

RK PLAYER COUNTRY IN/OUT
1) Jason Day Australia Out
2) Jordan Spieth U.S. TBD
3) Dustin Johnson U.S. In
4) Rory McIlroy Ireland Out
5) Henrik Stenson Sweden In
6) Bubba Watson U.S. In
7) Rickie Fowler U.S. TBD
8) Adam Scott Australia Out
9) Danny Willett Great Britain In
10) Justin Rose Great Britain In
11) Sergio Garcia Spain In
12) Branden Grace South Africa Out
13) Patrick Reed U.S. Not currently eligible
14) Louis Oosthuizen South Africa Out
15) Brooks Koepka U.S. Not currently eligible

DOMINO EFFECT: Shane Lowry this morning announced he has withdrawn from representing Ireland in the Olympics due to Zika, saying that he "felt he would be putting his future family plans at risk and based his decision on 'firm medical advice'" (RTE.ie, 6/28). Golf Channel's Chris DiMarco called the loss of top players a "big blow" and said, "It’s a domino effect." DiMarco: "We have not seen any Americans withdraw yet. That is, I think, the real domino effect. If we see one or two of the Americans withdraw, I think you are going to see a long list of them go.” He said Day "put a lot of deep thought" into his decision, but the move likely will result in more players that are "going to follow that path” ("Morning Drive," Golf Channel, 6/28).

SENDING IOC A BAD SIGNAL: NBC's Peter Jacobsen noted it is "no sure thing that the Olympics are going to keep golf" past '20, and the number of high-profile withdrawals "sends a bad signal ... that nobody really cares.” Jacobsen: “What we need to do is have a great Olympics this year, have a great Olympics in 2020, and hopefully, we are going to have some more adopters and we are going to see some of the great players in the world -- Jason Day, McIlroy -- playing in the Olympics in 2020” ("Morning Drive," Golf Channel, 6/28). SI's Alan Shipnuck as part of GOLF.com's weekly roundtable said the "entitlement and point-missing among the top (male) golfers is depressing," as they are "on their way to getting their dying, boutique sport tossed from the biggest athletic happening in the world." That would result in a "big loss for the sport to make new fans and reach new markets." Golf magazine's Josh Sens said Olympic golf "felt like a forced idea from the beginning," and it was not tough to "imagine all along that many of the top players would opt out for either money or scheduling reasons." While Zika could not have been predicted, people "could have foreseen reluctance on the part of many players, not to mention a certain amount of apathy from fans." Golf magazine's Joe Passov: "I just wish golf had debuted in London (2012) or Tokyo (2020) instead, and perhaps we wouldn't be having this discussion" (GOLF.com, 6/26).

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