TROON, Scotland – Jordan Spieth withdrew from the Olympics on Monday, leaving golf without its top four players when the sport returns to the games for the first time since 1904.

The decision was announced by International Golf Federation President Peter Dawson.

Spieth was the last player to say he was not going to Rio, telling the IGF it was for “health reasons.” Spieth was practicing at Royal Troon during the IGF news conference and was not expected to speak until Tuesday.

Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy previously withdrew, all citing the Zika virus. Day and Johnson have said they plan on having more children, while McIlroy is engaged and said he would soon be starting a family.

Golf still has eight of the top 15 players in the world competing in Rio, though losing the top four could be a big setback in its bid to stay in the Olympic program. It is assured of being part of the Tokyo Games in 2020, but the International Olympic Committee votes next year to decide whether it stays beyond that.

Spieth was replaced by Matt Kuchar, who narrowly reached No. 15 in the world two weeks ago with a tie for third in the Bridgestone Invitational.

Spieth was enthusiastic about the Olympics until about a month ago, when he started to mention security, Zika and other concerns. Spieth was said to be struggling with his decision until Monday.

DALLAS — U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson is withdrawing from the Olympics because he is concerned about the Zika virus.

Johnson becomes the 13th player to pull out of the field for the Rio Games, where golf makes its return after a 112-year absence. Patrick Reed is expected to replace him.

Johnson released a statement through one of his representatives on Friday.

Johnson and his wife, Paulina, plan to have more children “in the near future,” according to the golfer, and he feels it would be irresponsible to put his family at risk. The Zika virus can cause severe birth defects and babies being born with abnormally small heads.

Seven other players who have pulled out specifically cited Zika, including world No. 1 Jason Day and world No. 4 Rory McIlroy.

Johnson and Day are both playing the RBC Canadian Open this July.

AKRON, Ohio – Dustin Johnson returned from celebrating his U.S. Open victory by taking down the world’s No. 1 player to win another World Golf Championship.

Johnson didn’t miss a beat from Oakmont to Firestone, powering and putting his way to a 4-under 66 on Sunday to win the Bridgestone Invitational for his second straight victory, making him the player to beat heading into the British Open in two weeks.

“This golf course is playing so tough, it’s not like I need to go out and shoot 63,” Johnson said. “You just try to hit it in the fairway and get to get it on the green and try to make some putts. I knew if I shot 4 or 5 under I’d have a chance.”

Jason Day, poised for his first victory in his adopted home state of Ohio, helped make it easy for Johnson.

Day had a one-shot lead when he missed a 4-foot par putt on the 15th hole, and then collapsed with a series of bad shots and bad choices. He tried to play it safe off the tee on the 655-yard 16th hole and hooked a 3-wood into the trees. He blasted through the branches and through the fairway, getting a good break when a young fan picked up his ball, allowing Day to drop it from behind a tree.

Then, he tried to squeeze a shot from 200 yards around the pond. It came up short and rode the collar of the bank into the water, leading to double bogey. Day didn’t hit a green in regulation over the final six holes, closed with a bogey and shot 72 to tie for third.

“Disappointed, but I’ve got to try and focus on what I did great this week, move on, and try and get better for the next one,” Day said.

Scott Piercy was a runner-up to Johnson for the second straight time. He narrowly missed birdie chances, and the birdie putt he made on the 18th gave him a 70 and allowed him to finish alone in second.

Johnson, who finished at 6-under 274, moved to a career-best No. 2 in the world by a fraction over Jordan Spieth.

Spieth closed with a 67 and tied for third with Matt Kuchar (66), Kevin Chappell (67) and Day.

Johnson, who won his third World Golf Championship, did his part. He showed plenty of rust the opening two days, coming off a week in The Bahamas when he celebrated his 32nd birthday and his first major championship. He hit his stride on the weekend with a 66-66 finish.

Johnson was three shots behind when he rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on the 13th hole, and followed with a wedge into 8 feet for birdie on the next hole. Right when Day was getting into big trouble on the 16th, Johnson blasted a 9-iron out of the thick rough on the 17th to 15 feet and rolled in the birdie putt to take command.

Johnson now has 11 career victories in his nine years on the PGA Tour.

“I feel great,” he said. “I feel like my game is where it has been all year. I just haven’t been putting quite as well as I’d like. The last couple of weeks, I just putted a little better.”

He made it sound so simple, even as the back nine became so complicated.

Johnson ran into trouble himself on the 18th hole when he pulled his tee shot into the rough and clipped a branch on his punch shot, dropping into deeper rough. Instead of trying to play over a bunker, he pitched to the far collar of the green and lagged his putt to make sure he made nothing worse than bogey.

Unlike his U.S. Open victory, at least he knew the score.

RENO, Nev. – Greg Chalmers won the Barracuda Championship on Sunday at Montreux for his first PGA Tour title, eagling the final hole for a six-point victory in the modified Stableford scoring event.

The 42-year-old Australian won in his 386th start after entering the week as the active player with the most events without a victory.

“It’s hard to win and I’m very thrilled and very pleased to get it done,” Chalmers said. “It was a tough. I knew today would be difficult. And we had difficult conditions. I was blessed, I think, that guys found it tough just the same as I found it tough.”

A point ahead of Gary Woodland and needing at least a par on the par-5 18th to wrap up the victory, Chalmers made an 8-foot eagle putt after hitting a 320-yard drive and 230-yard, 7-iron approach. A few minutes earlier, Woodland hit an 8-iron into the right bunker and three-putted for bogey.

“Quite fortunate that Gary didn’t birdie the last,” Chalmers said. “That would have put a lot of pressure on me.”

Chalmers had a four-point round to finish with 43 in the system that awards eight points for double eagle, five for eagle, two for birdie and deducts a point for bogey and three for double bogey or worse. He also had two birdies and five bogeys, the last two on Nos. 15 and 17.

The left-hander earned a two-year tour exemption, a spot in the British Open at Royal Troon and other perks. With only conditional status, he had split time between the tour and the Web.com Tour this year. The two-time Australian Open champion missed the cuts in his previous five starts on the big tour.

“Just to get back on the PGA Tour. I can’t tell you how exciting that is,” Chalmers said. “Forty-two years of age, I turn 43 in October. This is a real fork in the road for my career, and it’s in the right direction.”

Because of the West Virginia floods that led to The Greenbrier Classic being cancelled, a British Open spot was transferred to the leading player not already eligible at Montreux.

“Can’t wait,” Chalmers said. “It’s such a great thing that the R&A and Barracuda here have done for us, even though the circumstances that came about weren’t the greatest.”

Woodland, the 2013 winner, also had a four-point round to finish second.

“It’s frustrating,” Woodland said. “I didn’t make any putts coming down the stretch.”

In standard scoring, Chalmers finished a stroke ahead of Woodland and third-place finisher Colt Knost, closing with a 1-over 73 for a 15-under total.

Knost had a 10-point round to reach 35. He has three top-four finishes in his last five events.

“I stole some today, but I threw a lot away,” Knost said. “Honestly, all week I just didn’t strike it very well. My short game saved me.”

Tim Herron was another point back after a 13-point round. He was pulling for Chalmers to win.

“That would be great. That would be awesome,” the 46-year-old Herron said while Chalmers was in the middle of the back nine. “He’s grinding his butt off. We’re kind of in that stage of our career – should we hang with the family or should we keep going?”

Brendan Steele and Steve Wheatcroft tied for fifth with 32 points.

“Not the Sunday I wanted,” Wheatcroft said. “They definitely changed the golf course up on us. Took us four or five holes to figure that out. Can’t imagine too much water went on the greens last night. They were rock hard.”

Rhein Gibson had the shot of the week, holing out from 175 yards for double eagle on the par-5 18th. He set up the albatross with a 370-yard drive.

“I hadn’t had a birdie all day and just leaking oil, hitting good shots, not doing anything,” Gibson said. “I hit an unbelievable tee shot there, and had a wedge in. … Saw it go in. The crowd went pretty bonkers.”

Barracuda will donate $100,000 to a charity in Gibson’s name. The only other albatross in tournament history was by Shiv Kapur in 2010, when the hole played as No. 9.

Gibson tied for 25th with 24 points. He and other Australian players showered Chalmers with champagne.

“I didn’t expect that,” Chalmers said. “And kind of unique, because normally a lot of guys will just leave town. So, for them to stay and do that was kind of special.”

Chalmers’ father, John, also was there to celebrate.

“My father just comes out to travel with me when my mom and my kids and my family are staying back in Dallas,” Chalmers said. “He just likes to come out and watch golf. He plays. It’s good for us as father and son – he’s 72 now – for us just to bond and chat and solve the world’s problems every night.”

Chalmers got the last laugh on a Twitter troll, too.

“Unfortunately, someone on Twitter said, ‘That guy can’t close out.’ … I’ll be tweeting him back later, don’t worry about that.”

RENO, Nev. – Greg Chalmers birdied five of the final six holes Saturday to increase his lead to six points in the Barracuda Championship, the PGA Tour’s lone modified Stableford scoring event.

The 42-year-old Australian had seven birdies and a bogey for a 15-point round and 39-point total at Montreux in the scoring system that awards eight points for double eagle, five points for eagle, two points for birdie and deducts a point for bogey and three points for double bogey or worse.

Ben Martin and Gary Woodland were tied for second. Martin had eight birdies in a 16-point round, the best score of the week. Woodland had an 11-point round. He won the 2013 event for the last of his two PGA Tour titles.

Chalmers, Martin and most of the players are fighting for a spot in the British Open in two weeks at Royal Troon in Scotland. Because of the West Virginia floods that led to The Greenbrier Classic being canceled next week, a spot was transferred to the leading player not already eligible at Montreux. Woodland was the only player in the top 23 who has already qualified for the Open.

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., is T29 at 19 after a 12-point round, while Weyburn, Sask., native Graham DeLaet is tied for 49th with 15 points.

AKRON, Ohio – Jason Day wanted to expand his lead Saturday in the Bridgestone Invitational.

He was happy just to keep a share of it.

Spraying tee shots all over Firestone, Day spent most of the afternoon scrambling for par until he made a 35-foot birdie putt on the 15th hole that settled him down in a hard-earned round of 1-under 69 to share the lead with Scott Piercy.

“I felt like Mr. Haverkamp out of ‘Caddyshack’ trying to find his golf ball and not knowing where the golf hole goes,” Day said.

But he could find the bottom of the cup, including three par putts of at least 8 feet.

Piercy, coming off a runner-up finish in the U.S. Open two weeks ago at Oakmont, quickly tied Day for the lead with an eagle on the par-5 second hole and was flawless until the final hole. He had a one-shot lead until pulling his tee shot into the left rough, running a low shot through the green and into a back bunker, and having to scramble just to escape with a bogey and a 67.

They were at 5-under 205, the highest 54-hole score at this World Golf Championship since 2007.

Only nine players remained under par, and given the firm conditions of Firestone, Day believes all of them have a chance.

David Lingmerth of Sweden had a 69 and was one shot behind. The big move Saturday belonged to U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson, who hits it a long way and has a short memory.

After warming up on the range, Johnson said he was ready for a great round of golf, adding that “I’m due.” The smile suggested he did recall that he played decently at Oakmont two weeks ago.

Johnson was 5 under through 11 holes and closing in on the lead when he played final seven holes in 1 over for a 66. Still, that was enough to get him to 2-under 208, three shots behind, along with Charl Schwartzel (67) and William McGirt (70).

Justin Thomas and Emiliano Grillo, buddies from their junior golf days, were another shot back. Thomas was in much better position until his wedge shot found the water on the par-5 16th, and his fifth shot after a penalty drop nearly went in for a par. Thomas then missed a 4-foot putt for double bogey.

The 16th also got the best of Jordan Spieth in a big way.

Spieth was starting to make putts when he debated whether to hit 3-wood on the 654-yard 16th hole, thinking he could keep it away from the water and try to make his birdie from the rough. He played it smartly instead by laying up, only it didn’t quite work out that way.

His third shot came up just short and into the water. His next shot went over the green and he couldn’t get up-and-down, making triple bogey.

Spieth said his caddie talked him out of the 3-wood, and he agreed.

“The big number only comes into play with a 3-wood,” he said. “It really was the right decision. It’s just funny how we talked about it like that.”

Spieth had another 71 and was five shots behind.

Piercy had no such issues. He holed a bunker shot on the second hole for eagle and didn’t have any stress in his round except for the 35-foot par putt he holed from the back fringe on the 14th hole. The final hole cost him the lead, but he is driving it well enough to think he has a strong chance to pick up his fourth career victory.

“I know I can do it,” Piercy said. “It’s just doing it on a consistent basis like a Jordan or a Jason and those guys.”

Day opened with a 20-foot birdie putt. He added a short birdie on the sixth hole. A three-putt bogey on the seventh was a nuisance.

What concerned him was a tee shot on the eighth that was meant to be a sweeping draw and turned into a shot deep into the trees for a bogey. And it didn’t get much better from there. He was in trouble off the tee on the next two holes and salvaged pars. He hit only three fairways in the round.

“The short game saved me, but mentally I was just trying to grind and grind and grind,” Day said.

“Because I thought if I can just somehow get something in and give myself an opportunity for tomorrow … it’s very easy, hitting the positions I hit it today, to sit there and go, ‘Well, it’s just not my day or not my week’ and kind of switch off a little bit. But didn’t want to allow myself to switch off mentally.”

RENO, Nev. – Greg Chalmers birdied five of his last eight holes Friday to take a two-point lead in the Barracuda Championship, the PGA Tour’s only modified Stableford scoring event.

The 42-year-old Australian had a 10-point round to reach 24 points at Montreux in the scoring system that awards eight points for double eagle, five points for an eagle, two points for a birdie and deducts a point for a bogey and three points for a double bogey or worse.

“I played OK,” Chalmers said. “It wasn’t as good as yesterday ball-striking-wise, but then I ran in a lot of really nice putts. … I stayed out of trouble on the holes I needed to and picked up some really good birdies where I needed to.”

Chalmers has only conditional tour status. He has made six starts this season on the PGA Tour, tying for 58th in the first in China in November and missing the cut in the last five. The two-time Australian Open and Australian PGA champion also has played in nine Web.com Tour events.

First-round leader Martin Laird of Scotland bogeyed three of his last six holes – finishing with a three-putt on the par-4 ninth – to drop into a tie for second with 2013 winner Gary Woodland. Laird also had five birdies in a seven-point round. Woodland had eight points with five birdies and two bogeys.

“Yesterday morning the greens were immaculate. If you hit a good putt, it was pretty much going in,” Laird said. “This afternoon, I hit two or three putts from 6 to 10 feet, felt like I hit good putts, and they wiggle around and miss. Same for everyone that plays in the afternoon. It’s just kind of the nature of these greens. Hopefully, I can have some wiggle in the next couple of days.”

Chalmers, Laird and most of the players are fighting for a spot in the British Open in two weeks at Royal Troon in Scotland. Because of the West Virginia floods that led to The Greenbrier Classic being canceled next week, a spot was transferred to the leading player not already eligible at Montreux.

“Obviously, it would be great,” Laird said. “It’s always nice for me to go back to Scotland. The Open’s my favorite golf tournament in the year. .. But it’s not really on my mind right now. I’m just trying to play good golf and keep firing away at flags and, hopefully, make some birdies.”

Woodland was one of five players already in the Open to advance to the weekend.

Colt Knost was fourth at 21 after an eight-point round.

“A lot of good and a lot of bad, honestly,” Knost said. “Yesterday, I really wasn’t happy with my ball-striking. And today, I thought I found something on the range. I hit some better ones, but kind of still a little sloppy. But it definitely plays tougher here in the afternoon and the greens get a little bumpy.”

He recently moved from Dallas to Scottsdale, Arizona.

“I was out there all winter just working on my game out at Whisper Rock and decided to make the move permanent,” Knost said. “It just really allows me to focus on golf and everything. I think it’s a big reason why I’m playing so well this year.”

Brendan Steele eagled the par-5 18th to reach 20 points. He hit a 210-yard shot to 12 feet.

“It’s always good to have an eagle anywhere in your round, but definitely nice to finish with one,” said Steele, already in the British Open. “It’s nice that they gave us a hole like 18 to finish on. It really makes it exciting for the fans and fun for us.”

Former Illinois player Charlie Danielson had 11 points in his professional debut. He eagled the 18th for the second straight day.

Graham DeLaet struggled to follow his nine-point opening round in his return from a five-week break to sort out anxiety issues with his putting. The bearded Canadian closed with a double bogey, leaving him with eight points heading into the weekend. Fellow Canadian Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., who sits T68 with seven points, will also advance to the weekend.

Camilo Villegas, tied for second with 14 points Thursday, lost seven points with two double bogeys and a bogey to make the cut on the number.

Jon Rahm and 2014 winner Geoff Ogilvy also had seven points. Rahm tied for third last week at Congressional in his pro debut to earn a British Open spot. The former Arizona State player is from Spain.

J.J. Henry, the 2012 and 2015 winner, missed the cut with three points.

AKRON, Ohio – Jason Day made a pair of late birdies on a windy afternoon at Firestone for a 1-under 69 and a one-shot lead in the Bridgestone Invitational.

Day’s objective was to get in the lead and expand it. He took care of the first part Friday, though the world’s No. 1 player lost a chance at some separation with a three-putt bogey on the final hole.

He was at 4-under 136 going into the weekend of this World Golf Championship, one shot ahead of David Lingmerth, who had a 67.

William McGirt, who started with a three-shot lead, kept in front until he made a double bogey on the final hole for a 74. He was two shots behind. Jordan Spieth had a 71 and was another shot back.

RENO, Nev. – Martin Laird of Scotland made eight birdies to lead the Barracuda Championship on Thursday with more than just a PGA Tour victory on the line.

Because of the West Virginia floods that led to The Greenbrier Classic being canceled next week, a spot in the British Open has been transferred to the leading player not already eligible at the Barracuda Championship.

The British Open is at Royal Troon and Scotland.

He still has a long way to go and plenty of players, including former champion Gary Woodland, right behind him.

Laird has plenty of experience handling the high altitude of Montreux Golf and Country Club because he left Scotland to play golf at Colorado State and has been based out of America his entire professional career.

He finished with 15 points in the modified Stableford scoring that awards five points for an eagle, two points for a birdie and deducts one point for a bogey and two points for a double bogey or worse.

“I played five years at 5,000 feet, so I’m pretty comfortable with the yardages,” Laird said. “It’s hard to make yourself trust it sometimes. I almost know how far I hit my clubs anyway without having to do the adjustments. So that’s a little easier for me. … You’ve got to go with what you think it is and hit your shot.”

Woodland, who won at Reno in 2013, was tied for the lead when he missed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 17th and then hit his second shot with a 6-iron into the water on the par-5 18th, leading to a bogey that cost him a point. That put him at 14 points along with Camilo Villegas and Greg Chalmers.

“Swing like an idiot,” Woodland said. “Really the two bad golf swings I made were on the par 5s on the back.”

Villegas, playing in the same group with Woodland, missed a 7-foot birdie putt on the final hole that would have given him the lead.

“We both had a great day,” Villegas said. “I got going pretty hard from the beginning, and then Gary got going there with an eagle on No. 8.”

The scoring system awards aggressive play. Villegas made seven birdies with no bogeys (that would have been a 65), while Woodland had six birdies and an eagle, offset by three bogeys. In normal play, he would have shot 67. Chalmers also had six birdies, one eagle and three bogeys.

“Made a couple of bogeys, bounced back real quick and got going the right direction,” Chalmers said. “This format is about making a lot of birdies and eagles.”

Colt Knost was in the group at 13 points.

The group tied for 15th at 9 points includes two Canadians in Graham DeLaet (Weyburn, Sask.), who is playing for the first time in a month to sort out anxiety issues of his putting, and Abbotsford, B.C., product Nick Taylor. Carlos Ortiz of Mexico also sits within the group and needs a good week to have any chance of getting into the Olympics.

AKRON, Ohio – Golf in Ohio must bring out the best in William McGirt.

One month after his first PGA Tour victory at the Memorial, McGirt looked just as good two hours up the road at the Bridgestone Invitational. In his World Golf Championship debut, he opened with six birdies and finished with a 45-foot par for a 6-under 64 and a three-shot lead.

An Ohio sweep?

That’s only happened four times, and McGirt guessed right at the answer.

“Tiger Woods, Tiger Woods, Tiger Woods and Tiger Woods?” he said. “That would be pretty special company.”

He had some decent company behind him after an opening round of warm sunshine and fast conditions at Firestone. Jason Day, the world’s No. 1 player, was among three players at 67, while Jordan Spieth somehow managed to post a 68 despite having only one birdie attempt (he missed) in his first 10 holes.

“I wasn’t supposed to shoot 2 under today,” Spieth said.

U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson had a U.S. Open kind of round – 15 pars, two birdies and a bogey – for a 69. His big celebration was walking off the 11th green to learn that his alma mater, Coastal Carolina, had just won the College World Series for its first national title. His golf wasn’t bad considering that he didn’t practice much last week while celebrating his first major (and his 32nd birthday) in The Bahamas.

“I didn’t expect a whole lot today,” Johnson said. “I always expect to play well, but this golf course is playing tough.”

Only 17 players of the 61-man field broke par. The first round ended with only 58 players.

Daniel Berger withdrew after his opening tee shot with a shoulder injury. Brooks Koepka withdrew after 13 holes with an ankle injury. Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III, playing at Firestone for the first time since 2009, withdrew after a 78 because of what was described as a torn labrum.

The field also was missing Rory McIlroy and Masters champion Danny Willett, among several European Tour players who opted to play the French Open this week.

McGirt had never played in a WGC until he became eligible with his playoff victory at Muirfield Village a month ago. He showed up at Firestone on Sunday, played nine holes and rode in a cart on the back nine.

“I fell in love with the place because length is not everything out here,” McGirt said. “You have to drive it in the fairway. You have to drive it in the correct spots in the fairways to be able to attack pins. I love it because you can’t stand up there and just hit it as hard as you want, go find it and hack it on the green. It’s an old, traditional style golf course, which I absolutely love.

“I don’t know, maybe it’s something with Ohio I like,” he added.

The most peculiar round belonged to Spieth, who said he has been in a lull the last month as he searches for something in his swing, particularly his wedges. It had the look of a score closer to 74 or 75, except that the former Masters and U.S. Open champion kept hanging in there with pars. One shot hit a tree and bounced forward over the water into a bunker. He whiffed on a 7-iron that left him a tough pitch, but he managed to save par from 8 feet.

He ended the front nine with par-saving putts from 20 feet and 25 feet.

It took him until the 15th hole before he had back-to-back birdie putts, and he started converting them. He holed the last four of them.

“I’m really just searching for something that isn’t far off, that’s real simple,” Spieth said. “It really is only taking place on my scoring clubs, but that’s where you need them. It’s close. It’s almost there. And when it clicks, we’re definitely in business the way the short game is.”

Emiliano Grillo and Jimmy Walker also were at 67 with Day, while Spieth was joined by Rickie Fowler, Anirban Lahiri and Charley Hoffman.

Day said he felt a burden lifted by making his announcement not to play in the Olympics because of Zika concerns, but he didn’t think that equated to his golf. It was a tidy round with only one bogey and four birdies, and a pair of tough par saves from a bunker on No. 9 and behind the green on the par-5 16th.

“It was just kind of a weird feeling of a day where I kind of made some good pars, kept the momentum going, and all of a sudden I shot 67,” Day said. “I’ve just got to keep grinding until Sunday is over.”