DUBLIN, Ohio -- After spending some time researching the Zika virus and talking to health experts, Rory McIlroy said Wednesday he is unlikely to pull out of the Olympic golf tournament this summer in Rio de Janeiro.
"I'm ready to play," McIlroy said Wednesday at Muirfield Village, where he will play in the Memorial Tournament beginning Thursday. "I feel like the advice I've sought out over the past 10 days has put my mind at ease and makes me more comfortable going down there knowing that, even if I do contract Zika, it's not the end of the world. It takes six months to pass through your system, and you're fine."
Following his Irish Open victory on May 22, McIlroy had expressed concern to the BBC about going to Rio for the Olympics. He said he was monitoring the situation in Brazil with the outbreak of the virus, especially in lights of its effect on pregnant women; McIlroy is engaged and has talked about starting a family.
McIlroy, a Northern Irishman who is the third-ranked player in the world, said he had "sought out some advice" and believes that the global epidemic is due more to those traveling to South America and not realizing they have it.
"You can get tested for it, and it's either a yes or a no you've had it," he said. "It's a virus. It works its way out of your system, and you become immune to it."
McIlroy also said he remains lukewarm to the idea of golf as an Olympic sport.
"I can't tell you know how it's going to grow the game and all," he said, "but people will watch it on TV, and whether they see it and say, OK, I want to have a go at that, I want to try that -- if parents want to get their kids into it from a certain country because they want them to be Olympic champions, that remains to be seen, but you're going to get golf fans watching down there just like you do at any other golf event."
