Japanese golfer Hideki Matsuyama on Sunday announced that he "has withdrawn from the Olympics over concerns surrounding the Zika virus," becoming the latest highly ranked player to pass on the Rio Games, according to Will Gray of GOLFCHANNEL.com. Matsuyama, ranked No. 16 in the world, said, "My body has a tendency to react strongly to insect bites. Therefore, I made a heart-wrenching decision not to participate in the Olympics this year" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 7/3). Golf HOFer Annika Sorenstam said of players choosing not to participate in the Games. "It's sad because I was in the presentation to the IOC to get golf in the Olympics. ... It's certainly disappointing.'' She added, "I'm going. I'm not concerned about that. ... Some players feel like they're exhausted. They don't see the Olympics as that big of a deal in golf. But when you go to other countries, like Korea and China, that's all they live for. So it's cultural'' (ESPN.com, 7/4). Meanwhile, Masters champion Danny Willett said that he is "willing to 'risk' a trip to Brazil to compete" at the Rio Games. Willett: "For the sake of one week out of every four years, I feel it's a risk I'm potentially willing to take" (BBC.com, 7/4).
AMERICANS TO FOLLOW SUIT? GOLF.com's weekly roundtable discussed if U.S. golfers will follow suit and not attend the Rio Games. GOLF magazine's Cameron Morfit said he "can’t imagine at this point that Jordan Spieth is going to play." He added that more Americans "will drop out," as Rio is "just not an attractive proposition at all right now." Golf.com producer Marika Washchyshyn said, "It's unfortunate, but there are so many problems plaguing the Games right now that, quite honestly, who is attending should be the least of everyone's worries." But SI's Alan Shipnuck said, "The top Americans have more reason to show up. Coke is a huge Olympic sponsor and Spieth just signed a monster deal so I expect he’ll be there. Adidas is the supplier of Team USA’s golf togs and the company stuck by [Dustin] Johnson during his travails so he’s likely to repay the loyalty" (GOLF.com, 7/3). Only one female has pulled out of Rio due to Zika, and golfer Stacy Lewis said of why more men are not playing, "When you play for as much money as the guys do, you kind of become a product of that environment, and you play for those big purses. We don't have that. ... We play because we love to play, and we want to represent our country" (GOLFWEEK.com, 7/4).
