Johnson unwilling to commit to Olympics due to crowded schedule

[January 29, 2020]    (Reuters) - Recent world number one Dustin Johnson is not ready to commit to this year's Olympics in Tokyo due to a crowded schedule, he said on Tuesday.

Dustin Johnson acknowledges the crowd after making his birdie putt on the 12th hole during the final round in the Sentry Tournament of Champions golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The July 30-Aug. 2 Olympic golf tournament at Kasumigaseki Country Club will be held two weeks after the British Open, and two weeks before the start of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoff series.

"Representing the United States in the Olympics is something (I would) definitely be proud to do but is it going to fit in the schedule properly?" current world number five Johnson said ahead of this week's Saudi International.

"I'm not really sure about that, because there are so many events that are right there and leading up to it.

"So I'm still working with my team to figure out what's the best thing for me to do."

Many top men's players skipped the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016, some due to concerns over the Zika virus, and others out of lack of interest.

Yet players have been generally more enthusiastic about Tokyo, with nobody ruling out competing as yet.

(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Toby Davis)

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