American golfer Dustin Johnson plays a tee shot during the Players Championship golf event in Ponte Vedra Beach, U.S., March 12, 2021. /CFP
Golf world No. 1 Dustin Johnson confirmed on Saturday he did not put his name forward for a spot on the United States team for this summer's Tokyo Olympics and will instead focus on the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) Tour.
Johnson, who said he had not given the Olympics much thought, did not sign up to be included in the pool of golfers seeking one of four possible berths.
A country can have up to four players qualifying for the Summer Games. All four golfers in the U.S. Team are in the top 15 of the world ranking.
There are currently 11 Americans, including Johnson, in the golf world top 15.
"I actually didn't really ever decide whether I was going to play or not. I just didn't sign up," explained Johnson following his third round at the Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida on Saturday.
"It's right in the middle of a big stretch of golf for me. So that was the reason I was kind of waffling on it a little bit," he added.
"It's a long way to travel and I think WGC (World Golf Championships) is the week right after it."
"The British (Open golf tournament) is a couple weeks before it. It's a lot of travelling at a time where it's important for me to feel like I'm focused playing on the PGA Tour."
American golfer Dustin Johnson holds the trophy after winning the Saudi International golf tournament in King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia, February 7, 2021. /CFP
The Olympic golf tournament starts on July 29 just 11 days after the final round of the British Open at Royal St. George golf club in Sandwich, England.
The PGA Tour picks up again in the U.S. four days after the golf gold is awarded with the $10.5 million WGC FedEx St. Jude Invitational in Memphis.
Right on the heels of that event are the FedEx Cup playoffs, won by Johnson last year, followed by the Ryder Cup.
"I think if there was a little more time. Especially if you weren't trying to fly right from Tokyo to Memphis and play WGC, yeah, I obviously definitely would have thought about it a lot more, if there was a little more space between there for sure," said the reigning Masters champion.