McIlroy has no regrets about pulling out of Rio Games

This shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone as the world number one, Jason Day has already withdrawn, along with Rory McIlroy and a bunch of other respectable golfers. “I have always placed my family in front of everything else in my life”.

Lee Anne Pace became the first female golfer to withdraw from the 2016 Olympic Games.

Shane Lowry of Ireland also pulled out Tuesday.

Day, 28, and his wife, Ellie, had their second child in November and plan to have more children.

Rio de Janeiro is marred with incidents of violence and crimes and the upcoming Olympic games in the city will prove to be a challenge amid the precarious financial and political situation of the country.

“It’s not every week, not every year you get to do this, to represent your country amongst the world best athletes in other sports, so I’m super excited about it and there are just so many positives from Rio that golf can take”. With No. 39 Marc Leishman also withdrawing from consideration, the top two qualifiers for Australia are now Danny Lee (No. 45) and Scott Hend (75).

Pace, a 35-year-old South African ranked 38 in the world, expressed concerns about the Zika virus.

“If I am fortunate to be one of the two players who qualify it will be a great experience and something to one day tell the grandkids”, Hend said.

World number two Jordan Spieth said on Tuesday he was “uncertain” about playing in Rio, adding: “I’ve heard some stories on both sides about the security threats that Brazil and Rio have”.

USA health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies. Next in line would be Scott Hend (No. 75) and Marcus Fraser (No. 81).

Day had been among the strongest proponents of competing in the Olympics, as had McIlroy and other young stars. But as the July 11 deadline nears for qualifying for Rio, some top golfers have been wavering.

He said Olympics were never his priority in a year in which the schedule is crammed with major championships with far more historical significant than an Olympic medal. People want to see Day, Spieth, and McIlroy win because they are the faces of the sport just like people wanted to see LeBron and Curry face off in seven games in the NBA Finals.

Pace was 20 in the latest Olympic rankings and will be replaced by Ashleigh Simon.