PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem doesn't believe five players skipping the Olympics will hurt golf's chances for staying on the program beyond 2020.
Golf returns to the Olympics this year in Rio for the first time since 1904. While it is set for 2020 in Tokyo, the International Olympic Committee will vote in 2017 whether the sport stays on the program beyond that.
Adam Scott and Marc Leishman of Australia, Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa and Vijay Singh of Fiji have said they will not compete, mostly citing a busy summer schedule of major events. Leishman was concerned about the Zika virus because his wife, who nearly died last year from toxic shock syndrome, has a susceptible immune system.
"If you look at the broader things that the IOC looks at from a sport the reason they like golf is it's growing around the globe, it's bringing young people to the game," Finchem said Tuesday.
Finchem said the tour has talked to all five players who have opted not to play and said it was a combination of issues.