Adam Scott says no to Olympics

Adam Scott has ruled himself out of Olympic selection and Marc Leishman is no certainty to be available take his place.

World No.7 golfer Adam Scott

World No.7 golfer Adam Scott has ruled himself out of competing for Australia at the Olympics. (AAP)

Adam Scott has ruled himself out of golf selection for the Rio Olympics, and next-in-line Marc Leishman is no certainty to be available either.

Leishman says he will consider any potential threat to the health of his wife Audrey, who has immune system issues, before deciding whether to compete for golf's first Olympic gold medal in 112 years.

World No.7 Scott issued a statement from his home in the Bahamas on Wednesday (AEST), announcing his unavailability.

The 2013 Masters champion had long indicated he had little interest in going to Rio for golf's return to the Games, preferring to focus all his efforts around the sport's traditional four major championships.

But Australia's Olympic golf captain Ian Baker-Finch held out hope he'd have a change of heart and join world No.1 Jason Day in a high-powered two-man men's team.

"My decision has been taken as a result of an extremely busy playing schedule around the time of the Olympics and other commitments, both personal and professional," said Scott.

"I have informed the Australian team captain and relevant authorities, who are understanding of my position and I wish the Australian Olympic team the very best of luck in Rio."

Leishman is the next highest-ranked Australian man at No.34 in the world but, with wife Audrey still recovering from the effects of a near-fatal bout with toxic shock syndrome last year, he won't commit to going to Rio without more information.

Audrey still doesn't have a fully-functioning immune system, meaning the infamous Zika virus, and anything else Leishman may pick up, could be more dangerous should she catch it.

"I am aware I am now next in line but I must make sure I get all the relevant information because this will be a big decision for me and for my family," Leishman told AAP.

"I will have a meeting in the next few weeks with the Olympics guys and get all the answers to my questions before making a decision.

"There is no question I love representing Australia any chance I get but the health of Audrey and my family is obviously of the highest priority."

Should Leishman also be missing, the spot will likely be fought out between Marcus Fraser, currently 66th in the world, Australian Open champion Matt Jones (70th), Scott Hend (86th), Steven Bowditch (91st), John Senden (99th) and Cameron Smith (107th).

Whoever is highest in the world rankings on July 11 will get the spot.


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Source: AAP



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Adam Scott says no to Olympics | SBS News