Dustin Johnson is withdrawing himself from consideration for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Johnson’s manager David Winkle confirmed the decision, which was first reported by Golfweek.
Johnson, currently the No.5 player in the Official World Golf Ranking, had previously expressed apprehension about playing the Summer Games earlier this year at the Saudi International.
“Schedule is always a big part of your season. You sit down at the beginning of the year just to kind of see, what events fall where,” Johnson said. “Representing the United States in the Olympics is something that I definitely would be proud to do, but is it going to fit in the schedule properly? I’m not really sure about that.
“There are so many events that are right there and leading up to it. So, you know, I’m still working with my team to figure out what’s the best thing for me to do.”
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According to Winkle, Johnson is skipping Japan to focus on the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Johnson also passed on golf’s return to the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, citing zika virus concerns.
The International Golf Federation uses the Official World Golf Rankings to create the Olympic Golf Rankings to determine eligibility. The top-15 players will be eligible for the Olympics, with a limit of four players from a given country. Johnson is ranked fifth in the world, and the third-highest ranked American, so he would currently be on the US team.
Beyond the top 15, players will be eligible based on the Olympic rankings, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top 15. The qualification period ends on June 22, the Monday after the US Open at Winged Foot.
Golf remains a trial sport in the Summer Games, with a guaranteed spot in 2020 and a likely appearance in 2024, but the International Olympic Committee has not committed further. The men’s competition begins on July 30 at Japan’s Kasumigaseki Country Club. Justin Rose is the defending gold medallist.
