Lee Westwood, on Olympic golf: Count me out
Declined: By England’s Lee Westwood, any interest in competing in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, he said Tuesday at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course, site of this week’s PGA Championship. Westwood, 48, cited “family commitments” and schedule demands that include play in the U.S. and Europe and his potential spot on Europe’s Ryder Cup team in the fall. He joins American Dustin Johnson and Australian Adam Scott as prominent players who have declined interest in Olympic golf. Westwood ranked third among players contending for spots on the Great Britain team, behind fellow Englishmen Tyrrell Hatton and Matthew Fitzpatrick. The top 15 players in the Olympic Golf Rankings, which track the Official World Golf Ranking, will be eligible to compete in the Tokyo Games, with a maximum of four per country. After the top 15, the Olympic field will be filled by using the top 60, with a maximum of two players per country. As things stand now, Westwood would miss qualifying. Justin Rose won the gold medal for Great Britain in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, which represented golf’s return to the Olympics after a 114-year absence. Golf at the Tokyo Games is scheduled for July 29-Aug. 1 at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama, near Tokyo.
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