Masters Champ Willett Now Joins McIlroy Considering Withdrawing From Rio Olympics.

Masters Champion Danny Willett has noiw joined four-time Major winner, Rory McIlroy expressing apprehension in travelling to Brazil for this year’s Olympic Games.

Like McIlroy, Willett fears contracting the ‘ZIKA’ virus.

Willett revealed his fears ahead of this week’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

New father Danny Willett now considering withdrawing from the Rio Olympics fearing catching the Zika virus.

New father Danny Willett now considering withdrawing from the Rio Olympics fearing catching the Zika virus.

“We are monitoring it,” said the Augusta National winning hero.

“We’ve had an e-mail from the WHO (World Health Organisation) and we are keeping on top of it.

“It’s not great, is it? There’s going to be 500,000 people watching the Olympics and you have 11,000 athletes right in the heart of where it’s at.

“If it turns out that it would be a massive threat to myself or to Nic (his wife Nicole) or to the little man, then I probably wouldn’t go. Family comes first. But as it stands at the minute, I think everything should be okay.

“We’re down to go and hopefully they can give us some proper guidelines as to how to keep it at bay and keep it under control so that it doesn’t ruin what could be potentially a fantastic Olympics.”

It’s yet another blow in golf returning to the Olympic’s after McIlroy admitted on Monday he was considering not travelling to Rio de Janeiro.

“There’s going to be a point in the next couple of years where we’re (with fiancee Erica Stoll) going to have to think about starting a family,” said the new Irish Open winner.

“Right now I’m ready to go but I don’t want anything to affect that.”

And quizzed if there was a chance he might not go to Rio, McIlroy, replied: “Yeah.” But he added: “Right now I am going and looking forward to it.”

No one would begrudge Rory acting in the safety of his family in any way, shape or form, but this does continue to continue to pose larger questions about the Olympics more generally.

Among those not travelling to Rio include Masters champions, Adam Scott along with fellow Australian Marc Leishman plus Vijay Singh and Charl Schwartzel along with former Open winner Louis Oosthuizen.

However if McIlroy in particular should elect not to compete it would be a huge blow to golf remaining a Summer Olympics sport past 2022 when it is also scheduled to be on the list of sports for the 2022 Olympics in Tokyo.

 

 



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