Golf: Dustin Johnson will skip Tokyo Olympics, boosting Tiger Woods' chances

Dustin Johnson hits his second shot on the 11th hole during the Genesis Invitational golf tournament. Photo / AP

Scratch Dustin Johnson from the list of Team USA golfers who might compete in the Tokyo Olympics this summer, a move that could help improve Tiger Woods' chances.

"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 in an email.

"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 lengthy international trip just before their beginning (and shortly after returning from two weeks in Europe)."

Four golfers will qualify for America's team based on their world golf ranking. Brooks Koepka (ranked third in the world) and Justin Thomas (fourth) are ahead of the fifth-ranked Johnson, with four golfers behind them contending for what would be two spots with Johnson's withdrawal. Patrick Cantlay is ranked sixth, followed by Webb Simpson (eighth), Patrick Reed (ninth), Woods (11th) and Xander Schauffele (12th).

Another American spot may open as well, with Koepka saying recently that the sport's four major championships and the FedEx Cup matter more to him than a gold medal, partly because the summer golf calendar is so full.

"In golf, we've got four majors every year, and now we're going to add the Olympics and you've got the Ryder Cup or the Presidents Cup, plus the FedEx Cup for us, and that's a lot of weeks traveling back and forth, a lot of time zones," Koepka said in January. "To me, the four majors are definitely more important, and the FedEx Cup, too, is a goal of mine. We'll see where everything else falls."

Play for the men's Olympic golf team begins shortly after the British Open ends July 19 and features four rounds from July 30 through to August 2 at Kasumigaseki Golf Club. The first FedEx Cup playoff event, the Northern Trust, starts on August 13 in Boston.

Woods, who turns 45 in December, said last fall that "making the Olympic team is a big goal."

"I don't see myself having too many opportunities," in 2020, he said.

Tiger Woods hits his tee shot at Riviera Country Club. Photo / AP

Playing in the Olympics would require Woods, who has had a number of surgeries and injuries over the years, to manage his schedule even more carefully. "It's hard to put it together for all four days as you get older," Woods said in January. "It's just harder."

Last season, he dealt with the wear and tear by playing in only 12 tournaments, after 18 appearances in 2018, and he won the Masters for the fifth time. However, after that April win, he played in only six more tournaments the rest of the season and missed the cut at two of them, the PGA Championship and the British Open. He also failed to qualify for the season-ending Tour Championship.

Golf returned to the Olympics for the first time in 112 years at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and was viewed as a success, both in terms of on-course drama and US television ratings. More people watched the final round on NBC than watched the final round of that year's US Open, British Open or PGA Championship. Justin Rose edged Henrik Stenson for the men's gold medal after they were tied entering the final hole of the four-round stroke-play tournament, while American Matt Kuchar shot a final-round 63 to earn bronze.

Olympics golf would almost certainly be wildly popular with Woods on Team USA, but he has to improve his international ranking. So far this year, he has played only in the Farmers Insurance Open in January, finishing in a tie for ninth, and last month's Genesis Open, in which he finished 68th, dead last among players who made the cut. Next up for Woods is the Players Championship March 12-15.

"There's so much golf to be played, so many big events, major championships, Players, World Golf Championships," Woods said in January. "There will be some pretty good fluctuating [in the rankings] over the next six months."