Dustin Johnson is pulling out of the Rio Olympics due to fear of the Zika virus. He is just one of a list of big name golfers who will not compete.
Dustin Johnson is having the best year of his professional career, capturing his first Major, as well as winning last week at the World Golf Championship. Saturday, Johnson announced he will not be in Rio for the 2016 Summer Olympics, citing fear over the Zika virus.
Golf will be returning to the Olympics for the first time in 112 years, but the competition will be without three of the top four golfers in the world. Johnson is the No. 2 ranked player in the world, and his absence will certainly be missed. No. 1 ranked Jason Day, and No. 4 Rory McIlroy have already pulled out of Rio, which leaves only No. 3 Jordan Spieth still in the event.
This week is The Open Championship, so it is possible Spieth will make a decision by then.
The United States is allowed four players in the Olympics, which is the most for any country. With Johnson pulling out, Patrick Reed will take his place, and he already has stated that he plans to play. For Johnson, the risk was not worth the reward.
“This was not an easy decision for me,” Johnson said in a statement released by his management company. “But my concerns about the Zika virus cannot be ignored.”
Johnson and his wife, Paulina Gretzky, have an 18-month old son, Tatum, but they plan to have more children. The Zika virus causes severe birth defects, including microcephaly, which causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads.
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