Jason Day is the latest golfer to withdraw his name from consideration for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, citing concerns over the Zika virus.

In a statement Tuesday, Day said:

"It is with deep regret I announce that I will not be competing in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games this coming August in Rio de Janeiro. The reason for my decision is my concerns about the possible transmission of the Zika virus and the potential risks that it may present to my wife's future pregnancies and to future members of our family. I have always placed my family in front of everything else in my life."

Day joins the likes of Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, Branden Grace and Louis Oosthuizen as members of the world top 15 to pull out of the Olympics this year. Day's absence will be a blow to both the appeal of the Olympics as a whole, being that he's the No. 1 player in the world, and to the Australian team that has already seen Scott and Marc Leishman (No. 39 in the world) pull out.

The news of Day's withdrawal from the Olympics comes just days after an IOC member suggested that golf should not be an Olympic sport if the best players in the world won't commit. Now, the best player in the world has decided not to play, which certainly won't help when it comes time for the IOC to vote next year whether to keep golf beyond 2020.