Who Is In The Great Britain Olympic Golf Team?
Who is in the Great Britain Olympic Golf Team? We reveal the players going to Rio
Who is in the Great Britain Olympic Golf Team? We reveal the four players who are going to Rio, despite the Zika virus risks in Brazil
Who is in the Great Britain Olympic Golf Team?
Well Justin Rose and Danny Willett have now both confirmed that they will represent the Great Britain Olympic golf team, despite the Zika Virus risks
The Englishmen will join Charley Hull and Catriona Matthew on the team that will play in Rio, with the men playing a 72-hole stroke play event from August 11-14, while the women go for gold between August 17-20.
Despite it being the first time that golf has appeared at the Olympics since 1904, it wasn't certain that Rose and Willett, who both have young families, would travel, after health warnings about the Zike virus caused many of golf's biggest names to withdraw.
That list includes the top four men's players in the world rankings - Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy - and handfuls of others, such as Adam Scott and Charl Schwartzel.
They're all worried about the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne virus that has been linked to defects in newborn babies.
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
It has seen more than 20 male golfers pull out, interestingly however, South Africa's Lee-Anne Pace is the only woman to withdraw, with very few others withdrawing across the sports spectrums, the exceptions being American cyclist Tejay van Garderen, whose wife is pregnant, and American basketball star Stephen Curry, who noted "other factors" played a role in his decision to withdraw.
Masters winner Willett however put the risk into context, when he told the press: “You've got more chance of getting malaria in South Africa than you have of contracting Zika when you go to Rio."
Talking about why he was soon keen to play, Rose said told the media at The Open: "I'm treating it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When it's once every four years, I think it's something you can certainly make an exception for, and that's been my attitude towards it. Just being a part of Team GB, in a sense you feel like you're part of something bigger than just your individual sport as well.
He added: "The Zika risk is going to be one of those things that we look back at and think it's a non-event hopefully."
The male duo will be joined by fellow major winner Catriona Matthew, plus youngster Charley Hull, who will both be eyeing up a podium finish in Rio.
-
Big Names Missing The 2025 Farmers Insurance Open
The PGA Tour's latest event is the Farmers Insurance Open, but there are a number of big names not in the field at Torrey Pines Golf Course
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
‘Back When Tiger Was Playing And Winning, It Was The Event To Come To’ - Has The Farmers Insurance Open Declined?
A number of names have withdrawn from the event in Torrey Pines, with both Jason Day and Charley Hoffman expressing their thoughts on how the tournament stands
By Matt Cradock Published