Adam Scott makes its official: He won’t play in the Olympics
Adam Scott has been saying for the better part of two years that he’s not all that keen on golf being in the Olympics. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that Scott made it official early on Wednesday in announcing he won’t compete in this summer’s Olympic golf tournament in Brazil.
“My decision has been taken as a result of an extremely busy playing schedule around the time of the Olympics and other commitments, both personal and professional,” Scott said in a release.
“I have informed the Australian team captain (Ian Baker-Finch) and relevant authorities, who are understanding of my position and I wish the Australian Olympic team the very best of luck in Rio.”
Scott has called the Olympic golf tournament an “exhibition,” saying he was struggling to find value in the competition because the sport has evolved without a place in the quadrennial program. Golf hasn’t been in the Olympics since 1904 in St. Louis, so the Aussie has a point. However, the Olympic tournament also offers an opportunity for this generation of the game to establish a new tradition that could keep golf on a big global stage for two weeks — between the men’s and women’s tournaments — every four years.
In deciding not to participate, Scott essentially locks Australia out of having more than two men in the 60-player tournament. A country can have no more than four players in each respective event, and all of those players must be in the top 15 in the Olympic ranking. If a country has less than three players in the top 15, then they’re limited to just two players.
Scott joins Fijian VIjay Singh and Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez as players who have announced their intentions to skip the Olympics.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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