“I think the most important result highlighted in this paper is how insignificant the additional risk of global Zika transmission caused by the Olympics is”, Lessler said, in an email.
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“I’m excited. It’ll be pretty special to be an Olympic athlete and get to walk in the opening ceremony and be part of the whole thing”, Fowler told Press Association Sport. I’ve received a lot from the game of golf.
“This is a very selfish decision and I get that”.
Rory McIlroy has delivered the most withering criticism of golf’s inclusion in the Olympics, suggesting the sport was irrelevant in the context of the Games and also admitting he was “not sure” whether he would even be watching it.
“Probably the events like track and field, swimming, diving – the stuff that matters”, McIlroy told reporters.
However, several of the sport’s top stars including McIlroy will not be competing for gold in Rio – citing the zika virus and the associated health risks as the main reason for their withdrawal.
Fowler, who’s the world’s No. 7 ranked player, is concerned about the virus, but doesn’t want that to keep him from a once in a lifetime opportunity.
While the men’s event has been hit by a host of pull-outs, New Zealand’s Lydia Ko will lead an nearly full-strength lineup as golf makes it’s return to the Olympics for the first time since 1904.
That was clearly a shot at golf’s Olympic boosters, who have said it’s the best way to spread the sport to nontraditional areas, with South America being at the forefront this year.
Other sports with promising medal chances include golf, tennis, beach volleyball and boxing, she said. “I think it’s a fantastic Open venue and a fantastic test of golf”, acknowledged the current Masters champion Danny Willett.
“Zika is a risk, but there’s other risks attached to going to Rio at this time with political unrest and security issues”, he said. That should put to rest three days of consternation about another tournament – the Olympics – that doesn’t have almost the history or the tradition of golf’s oldest championship.
“I think you’ve seen, with the amount of top professionals that have decided not to go this time, where it stands in our minds and maybe it would have been best served with amateurs going to play”.
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“I don’t really have any experience here at Troon, so it was good to get a couple of good looks at it last week, and then I just played another 18 holes this morning”.
