Dustin Johnson to skip Tokyo Olympics

Golf at the Olympic Games in Tokyo will get underway on July 30, but 2016 U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson will not be there.

Published : Mar 03, 2020 09:33 IST

Former world number one Dustin Johnson was part of the United States' Presidents Cup triumph in December.
Former world number one Dustin Johnson was part of the United States' Presidents Cup triumph in December.
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Former world number one Dustin Johnson was part of the United States' Presidents Cup triumph in December.

Former world number one Dustin Johnson will skip the Tokyo Olympics to focus on the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Golf at the Olympic Games in Tokyo will get underway at Kasumigaseki Country Club on July 30, but 2016 U.S. Open champion Johnson will not be there.

The FedEx Cup Playoffs begin on August 13 – 11 days after the golf event at the Olympics ends – while Johnson is set to feature at the Open Championship (July 16) prior to the Tokyo Games.

"Dustin gave the Olympics a great deal of thought and we discussed the pros and cons of him participating at length," Johnson's manager David Winkle told Golfweek .

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"At the end of the day, it's a matter of personal preference and priority. As much as he would be honoured to be an Olympian, the FedEx Cup Playoffs are also very important to him.

"Having had a few close calls in the Playoffs, he really wants to win them before his time is done and feels that he wouldn't be giving himself the best opportunity to do so if he added a lengthy international trip just prior to their beginning [and shortly after returning from two weeks in Europe]."

Johnson, who was part of the United States' Presidents Cup triumph in December – has two top-10 finishes this year via the Tournament of Champions (T7) and the Genesis Invitational (T10).

The world number five was tied for 48th at the WGC-Mexico Championship in his last event.

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