TROON, Scotland (AP) — So much for golf's triumphant return to the Olympics.
Any hope of Rio hosting a men's tournament that anyone beyond the hardcore aficionado will give a flip about took a knockout blow Monday when the last of the Big Four, Jordan Spieth, delivered his regrets to the powers that run international golf.
"It's certainly disappointing," said Peter Dawson, head of a world governing body that was essentially created to get golf back in the Olympics for the first time since 1904. "There is no doubt that the number of withdrawals hasn't shed golf in the best light.