Number one golfer Day withdraws over Zika

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Hend happy to handle Australia’s hopes in Rio golf (Reuters)

Scott Hend might not be the best known Australian golfer but the peripatetic world number 75 says he is happy to handle the burden of his country’s hopes at the Rio Olympics after a rash of high profile withdrawals. World number one Jason Day pulled out of the Games on Tuesday citing concerns over the Zika virus, following world number eight Adam Scott and 39th ranked Marc Leishman in withdrawing his name from contention. Big-hitting Hend is therefore in pole position to land one of Australia’s two spots at the Rio de Janeiro Games, when golf returns to the Olympics for the first time since 1904.

Number one golfer Day withdraws over Zika (Reuters)

(Reuters) – World number one Jason Day became the latest top golfer to withdraw from August’s Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games because of the Zika virus on Tuesday. Golf is returning to the Olympics for the first time since 1904, but a number of big names, including four-times major champion Rory McIlroy, Fiji’s Vijay Singh and Charl Schwartzel of South Africa, have also pulled out due to Zika concerns. The mosquito-borne Zika virus, which the World Health Organization says is spreading rapidly in the Americas, can cause crippling defects in babies and has been linked to the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre in adults.

Spieth facing long odds of a better year than ’15 (The Associated Press)
Any other year, Jordan Spieth would feel this has been a very good season. At the halfway point of 2016, he already has two victories. The other was even better, earning his first PGA Tour title in his home state when he birdied the last three holes at Colonial.

Golf: Montgomerie clinches British Open spot in qualifying (Reuters)

(Reuters) – Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie will play at the British Open for the first time in six years after coming through final qualifying on Tuesday to claim a place in next month’s championship at Royal Troon. The 53-year-old shot a five-under-par aggregate after 36 holes at Gailes Links to take the final spot after an agonizing two-hour wait as he qualified with Swede Oskar Arvidsson, ranked a lowly 1,418, and 23-year-old Spaniard Scott Fernandez. Montgomerie is a member at Royal Troon, where his father James was secretary, and will play at the Open for the first time since his 21st consecutive appearance in 2010.

Webb running out of time for Olympic dream (The Associated Press)
One of Karrie Webb’s greatest thrills was carrying the Olympic torch on the eve of the Sydney Games in 2000. It’s the reason Webb, a Hall of Famer with nothing left to prove, keeps a full schedule at age 41. Golf is back in the Olympics for the first time in 112 years, and Australia’s greatest female player wants to be there.

Omar Uresti opens 2-shot lead in PGA Professional (The Associated Press)
Former PGA Tour player Omar Uresti shot a 2-under 70 on Tuesday at Turning Stone to increase his lead to two strokes in the PGA Professional Championship. The top 20 after the final round Wednesday will earn spots next month in the PGA Championship at Baltusrol in New Jersey. The 47-year-old Uresti, a PGA Life Member from Austin, Texas, had an 11-under 205 total.

Billy Hurley III to skip British Open for sister’s wedding (The Associated Press)

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Billy Hurley III wouldn’t miss his sister’s wedding for anything – not even the British Open.

Montgomerie qualifies for British Open (The Associated Press)
IRVINE, Scotland (AP) — Colin Montgomerie will play at the British Open for the first time since 2010 after qualifying for golf’s oldest major on Tuesday.

Golf back in the Olympics after 112 years, but for how long? (The Associated Press)

For the longest time, golf’s biggest headache in preparing for a return to the Olympics was getting a new course built in Rio de Janeiro. Ten eligible players over the last two months have pulled out of the Olympics, six of the specifically citing concerns about the Zika virus. Shane Lowry and Branden Grace are planning to start families and will stay home because of Zika.

Golf’s gender divide over Rio, and Zika (Reuters)

By Mark Lamport-Stokes (Reuters) – When it comes to golfers and their interest in competing at this year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, a curious gender divide is emerging which, at first glance, is counter-intuitive. While world number one Jason Day and fourth-ranked Rory McIlroy are among several big names in the men’s game who have already opted out of Rio, not a single women’s player has yet withdrawn from global sport’s showpiece. Both Day and McIlroy have cited Zika fears as their prime reason for pulling out, saying they were unwilling to put either themselves or their families at risk from a mosquito-borne virus that can cause crippling birth defects.

Flood carves a path of destruction at historic resort (The Associated Press)
At West Virginia’s usually immaculate Greenbrier resort, the grandstands set up for a PGA tournament that was supposed to start the week of July Fourth now look out on a muddy, gouged-out golf course strewn with trash, tires, refrigerators and severed trees. The devastating floods that swept through West Virginia last week and killed at least 23 people statewide carved a path of destruction unseen in generations at the historic Greenbrier. When the worst of it was over, Greenbrier employees came upon two bodies on the resort grounds, and they are draining a lake on the 16th fairway to search for more.

Jason Day says Zika fears will keep him out of Rio Olympics (The Canadian Press)

Jason Day pulled out of the Olympics on Tuesday because of the Zika virus, costing golf its No. 1 player as it returns from a century-long absence at the games. The sport has lost two of its biggest stars in the last week, adding to the perception that the Olympics are not a high priority. Rory McIlroy, a four-time major champion, also said Zika will keep from competing in Rio de Janeiro.

Shane Lowry withdraws from Olympics over Zika concern (The Associated Press)

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Shane Lowry of Ireland has pulled out of the Olympics because of concerns over the Zika virus.

Jason Day says Zika fears will keep him out of Rio Olympics (The Associated Press)

Olympics: World No.1 golfer Day withdraws over Zika fears (Reuters)

(Reuters) – The world’s top-ranked golfer Jason Day on Tuesday withdrew from August’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics, citing fears over the Zika virus. “The reason for my decision is my concerns about the possible transmission of the Zika virus and the potential risks that it may present to my wife’s future pregnancies and to future members of our family,” the Australian said in a statement posted on Twitter. “While it has always been a major goal to compete in the Olympics on behalf of my country, playing golf cannot take precedent over the safety of our family.

Muirfield to hold second vote on female membership (Reuters)

(Reuters) – Muirfield will hold a second vote to admit female members, the golf club confirmed, after last month’s initial ballot rejected the lifting of a ban on women, leading to the historic course losing hosting rights for the British Open. The decision drew criticism from several top golfers, including four-times major winner Rory McIlroy, and Muirfield was removed from the list of courses that host Britain’s Open championship by tournament organizers, the Royal and Ancient. With 64 percent of members voting in favor of admitting women in the first ballot, club captain Henry Fairweather felt a second vote would be a step towards restoring their damaged reputation.

Omar Uresti leads PGA Professional at Turning Stone (The Associated Press)
The final top 20 will earn spots next month in the PGA Championship at Baltusrol in New Jersey. The 47-year-old Uresti, a PGA Life Member from Austin, Texas, had a 9-under 135 total. ”It was a solid scoring day,” Uresti said.

McDowell among 11 alternates added to British Open (The Associated Press)

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) — Graeme McDowell, Francesco Molinari and Ryan Palmer are among 11 alternates added to the field for the British Open.

Muirfield plans another vote on admitting female members (The Associated Press)
Muirfield intends to stage another vote on whether to admit female members after being stripped of its right to host the British Open. Now the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, which owns Muirfield, will seek approval from its membership to hold a fresh postal vote before the end of the year which could lead to the club returning to the British Open rota. ”A substantial majority of our members voted for change and many have voiced their disappointment with the ballot result and with subsequent events,” Henry Fairweather, captain of the HCEG, said on Monday.

LA event to be called Genesis Open (The Associated Press)

The PGA Tour event at Riviera in Los Angeles will be called the Genesis Open, the only title sponsor on tour to be known by a specific brand. Hyundai Motor America took over as sponsor in January of the PGA Tour’s tournament in Los Angeles that dates to 1926. A month later, it designated the Tiger Woods Foundation as the host organization that will run the event.