Willett admits Rio doubts

Masters champion Danny Willett is keen to play at the Olympics but is keeping an eye on developments regarding the Zika virus.

A number of high-profile players have opted not to play in Rio later this summer, with Marc Leishman and Vijay Singh admitting fears over the virus played a part in their decision to sidestep the event.

Adam Scott, Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen have made themselves unavailable due to scheduling issues while Irish Open winner Rory McIlroy said on Monday that he too has concerns about travelling to South America.

Willett would be a near certainty to qualify for the Games after his Augusta heroics but, having just become a father for the first time and with the prospect of having more children in the future, he is keeping his options open.

“We are monitoring it,” he said. “We’ve had an e-mail from the WHO (World Health Organization) and we are keeping on top of it.

“It’s not great, is it? “There’s going to be 500,000 people watching the Olympics, and you have 11,000 athletes right in the heart of where it’s at.

“If it turns out that it would be a massive threat to myself or to Nic or to the little man, then I probably wouldn’t go. Family comes first.”