Lee-Anne Pace becomes 1st women to pull out of Olympic golf
After a dozen men have announced they have withdrawn their names from consideration for their Olympic golf tournament, a female golfer has finally come forward to do the same.
South African Lee-Anne Pace announced Wednesday that she will not compete in the 60-player women’s golf tournament in Rio de Janeiro over fears of Zika virus.
“After weighing all the options and discussing it with my family and team, I have decided that due to health concerns surrounding the Zika virus, I will not be participating,” Pace said in a statement shared through Twitter announcing her decision.
Hey everyone. I would like to announce with huge disappointment that I will unfortunately not be competing in Rio. pic.twitter.com/H1SzBJN7Xe
— Lee-Anne Pace (@LeeAnnePace) June 29, 2016
Pace becomes the fourth South African golfer to decide to skip out on golf’s return to the Olympics after a 112-year absence. Major winners Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen, as well Branden Grace, have also pulled out of potentially representing their country in Brazil.