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Top Female Golfers Remain Committed To Rio Games Even As Top Male Players Drop Out

While male golfers "drop like dominoes" out of the Rio Games, top LPGA players "remain committed to the cause," according to Beth Ann Nichols of GOLFWEEK. World No. 1 Lydia Ko said she has to "trust the experts" in handling concerns about the Zika virus. Ko, who will represent New Zealand, said, "It’s not every week, not every year you get to do this, to represent your country amongst the (world's) best athletes in other sports." Nichols noted as of yesterday, no LPGA player "has said she will skip the Rio Games." South Korean Inbee Park "remains questionable because of an injured left thumb, but no player has opted out because of schedule concerns or the Zika virus." However, Gerina Piller, who "needs a top-10 finish at the U.S. Women's Open to qualify for the U.S. team" in Rio, "concedes she is worried about Zika." Piller: "It’s a very hard decision for us to make. I’m just kind of taking the attitude of, I’ll cross that bridge when I get there" (GOLFWEEK.com, 6/28). GOLFWEEK's Jeff Babineau asked, "Are we really to believe that not a single LPGA player has trepidations about playing in Brazil? If they turn up in unison in Brazil in less than two months, it will be quite a statement" (GOLFWEEK.com, 6/28).

STARS & STRIPES: GOLFCHANNEL.com's Will Gray wrote the withdrawal of prominent male golfers has reached a level that "threatens to serve as a dark cloud hanging over the festivities in Rio -- perhaps even impacting the sport’s Olympic future." And that is "before we get an answer from the biggest domino still left standing" in Jordan Spieth. He gave a "very firm 'maybe'" yesterday about playing in Rio, which was not the answer "many hoped to hear" from Spieth. It also "portends that the Olympic field could suffer some further deterioration." Spieth is "fully aware that the magnitude of any American defection would be significant." He said, "Do I feel an added burden? Potentially. I think all four of the Americans do. I feel like one of four with maybe a slightly higher burden now that the guys have dropped out" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 6/28). Golf Channel's George Savaricas noted Spieth's comments come after he for months "had publicly stated how excited he would be to be a part of the Rio Olympics" ("Golf Central," Golf Channel, 6/28).  Golf Channel's Chris DiMarco said, "These guys need to do the right thing now to make sure that (golf) stays around. ... If the top players pull out, the Olympic Committee is going to look at it and go, ‘Well, they really don’t want to be here, so why should we have it?’” Golf Channel’s Paige Mackenzie: “The burden is on everybody that is qualified to support the goal of keeping golf in the Olympics” ("Morning Drive," Golf Channel, 6/29).

FOLLOW THE LEADERS?
Top-ranked male player Jason Day yesterday announced he will join world No. 4 Rory McIlroy in skipping the Olympics, and he said he did not know if the two withdrawals "will trigger anyone else going." One Olympic official was quoted as saying that the "growing dearth of top-ranked me competing" in Rio "could impact golf’s participation" beyond the '20 Tokyo Games. But Day "hopes that Olympic officials will take into account the problems that arising in Rio, including civic unrest and financial troubles." He said, "I just hope they look past this and go, ‘You know, we’re looking at the bigger picture and trying to grow the game,’ and hopefully if they can do that, then the Olympics can stay" (GOLFDIGEST.com, 6/28). In Akron, Marla Ridenour notes Spieth "isn't optimistic" about the sport's future in the Olympics and "wishes the vote could be delayed" until after the '20 Games. Spieth: "Pending some crazy, great finish or whatever, I think there’s a significantly lower likelihood now of it staying in the Olympics than there was six months ago" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 6/29). GOLFWEEK's Babineau wrote losing Day is "a huge blow" for golf at the Olympics. The impact is that the competition on the men's side is "destined to be watered-down." It is "not going to be the best of the best" (GOLFWEEK.com, 6/28). But USA TODAY's Steve DiMeglio writes while the absence of Day, McIlroy and Adam Scott "dilutes the field, it is far from drained." It is still "going to be a pretty darn good show." Golf will be "the better for it no matter the field" (USA TODAY, 6/29).

EASY WAY OUT? ESPN.com's Jason Sobel wrote Zika has become the "perfect get-out-of-jail-free card for professional golfers." It is an "all-purpose excuse." Whether the virus is 99% of a player's real reason for skipping the Games or whether that number is "really much lower, it provides a handy cover for all concerns -- the unstable local government, the tightly packed schedule, the no-money tournament right in the middle of the summer." With each withdrawal, the event "loses more luster; the focus lingers more on those who aren't competing than those who remain committed" (ESPN.com, 6/28). Golf Channel's Tim Rosaforte said, "World-class players are not concerned about security issues, they don’t have the concerns about Zika virus. ... In golf’s case, the Zika thing was more of the easy out, or the politically correct way out, because I think it is really more about scheduling than it is anything else" ("Morning Drive," Golf Channel, 6/29). ESPN's Ryen Russillo: "Let’s not kid ourselves -- the golfers aren’t going because the golfers make a ton of money. They are independent contractors. A Gold Medal means almost nothing to them in the grand scheme of how they compete and what’s important. ... If you had a lie detector hooked up to some of these golfers, they just don’t even want to go. I don’t think Zika is the overwhelming reason guys are deciding to not go to Brazil. (“Mike & Mike,” ESPN Radio, 6/29).

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