Vijay Singh will not play at Rio Olympics, concerned about Zika virus

Former world No. 1 golfer Vijay Singh has informed officials in Fiji that he will not compete in the first Olympic golf competition in 112 years, when players tee off this summer in Rio de Janeiro.

"The timing of it, you know I have to focus over here [on the PGA Tour]," the 53-year-old said Tuesday, per NBC's Golf Central Blog. "I would like to play the Olympics, but the Zika virus, you know and all that crap."

Singh, now ranked 215th in the world, is currently in position to qualify for the 60-player field, and would be a virtual lock to represent his home country which doesn't have another golfer ranked in the top 1,000.

Fiji has never medalled in Olympic competition.

After a T69 finish at the Masters, Singh will now look ahead to the rest of his PGA schedule. So far this season, he has missed four cuts but has one top-ten finish at February's Honda Classic.

"It wasn't that difficult [a decision]," Singh said. "I feel bad, I wanted to play and finally decided against it. It's in the middle of the Tour over here and I'm trying to figure out my game."

Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez, currently listed as an alternate behind fellow countrymen Sergio Garcia and Rafa Cabrera-Bello, has also withdrawn from the competition in Brazil.