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South African Golfer Ignores Two Majors To Focus On Olympics

South African Golfer Ignores Two Majors To Focus On Olympics

South African golfer Jaco Van Zyl has withdrawn from both The Open Championship and the USPGA Championship in order to focus entirely on his performance at the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio.

Golf is to be played at the Olympics for the first time since 1904, as it has been reintroduced to the games alongside sevens rugby for the 2016 games.

The men’s golf event at Rio 2016 will take place between 11-14 August, but due to concerns over the widespread Zika virus, a number of golf pros have decided against taking part.

This includes a number of top South African golfers such as Branden Grace, Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen, leaving Jaco Van Zyl with the responsibility of representing the country in Brazil to the best of his ability.

He is taking this responsibility seriously, and has decided not to take part in The Open Championship and the USPGA Championship, two of the biggest events of the golf calendar, in order to prepare for the Olympics.

South African golfer excited to be an Olympian

The professional golfer has made the decision as he values the opportunity to play in the Olympics more than the annual major tournaments, and he made this clear in a statement.

“To me, the Olympics is the pinnacle of all sporting events and to have the chance to represent Team South Africa on sports’ biggest stage is an honour I don’t take for granted”, Van Zyl said in a statement, according to NewsTalk.

“I need to go to Brazil with the rest of the South African team knowing that I am in peak mental and physical health and that I can give my best over four rounds,” he added.

Explaining his decision to forego the majors, he mentioned that this may be his only chance to represent South Africa at the Olympics, while he will return to the majors he is missing this year in 2017.

“The majors will still be there next year, but I don’t know if I will get another chance in 2020,” he explained.

“To be part of the first South African team at the Olympics is a massive honor, and I owe it to the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, Gary Player, South Africa, Paula [Reto], Ashleigh [Simon] and the players who will be joining me in the men’s competition to be at my best,” he concluded.