South African Jaco Van Zyl, who sat out the year's last major, the PGA Championship, to prepare for the Olympics, says the world's top-ranked golfers are using the Zika virus as an excuse to dodge the Rio Games. World number one Jason Day of Australia, American world number two Dustin Johnson and number three Jordan Spieth and fourth ranked Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy all removed their names from Olympic consideration citing the risk of contracting the Zika virus. U.S. health officials have concluded that infections by the mosquito-borne Zika virus in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies.
