Jordan Spieth latest golfer to withdraw from Olympic Games

World number one Jason Day, second-ranked Dustin Johnson and number four Rory McIlroy are among several top players to have pulled out of the Rio de Janeiro event.

Spieth's decision to pull out leaves the Olympics without golf's four leading players as the sport returns to the Games for the first time since 1904.

"There is no doubt that the number of withdrawals hasn’t shed golf in the best light, and we have to accept that,” said Peter Dawson, president of the International Golf Federation.

“But we do understand why these individual decisions have been taken.

“Personally, I think there’s been something of an overreaction to the Zika situation, but that’s for individuals to determine, and there’s certainly a great deal of concern about this issue inside the game of golf, no doubt about that.”

Spieth has been replaced by Matt Kuchar in a four-man American team that also includes Bubba Watson,, Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed.