Johnson, Spieth and co ready for Rio but withdrawals remain possible
The United States’ men’s Olympic golf team is set, providing the four selected are all willing to compete in Rio.
Due to this week’s Greenbrier Classic being cancelled following damaging floods two weeks ago, there will be no changes affecting the leading American players in the world golf rankings ahead of the cut-off for Olympic qualification on July 11.
As it stands, world number two Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth (3), Bubba Watson (5) and Rickie Fowler (7) have qualified to represent Team USA.
However, golf’s return to the Olympic programme has been hit by a host of withdrawals – amid concerns over the Zika virus and the scheduling of the tournament – and it remains to be seen whether any of the quartet will pull out.
Watson has already made it clear he will play in Rio, but Spieth was non-committal when speaking at last week’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
“Right now I’m uncertain,” said the two-time major champion. “There are quite a few different factors that would turn somebody away from going. It’s not just one, there are quite a few factors.”
Should there be withdrawals from the US team, the next American players in line are Patrick Reed, Matt Kuchar, Brooks Koepka, Zach Johnson, Jim Furyk and J.B. Holmes.
