Rickie Fowler will be part of Team USA in Rio

While Jordan Spieth has yet to commit to playing in the Olympics, Rickie Fowler announced Sunday that he will be part of Team USA next month in Rio de Janeiro.

Golf is back as an Olympic medal sport following a 112-year absence, but the story leading into the tournament has been the decision of numerous star players to skip the event. Many golfers who are passing on the Olympics cited concerns over the Zika virus as their motivation, but others blamed the busy golf calendar.

Fowler, who is ranked seventh in the world, will be joined on Team USA by No. 5 Bubba Watson and No. 13 Patrick Reed. Spieth, rated third, has until 7 p.m. ET on Monday to commit to the U.S. squad.

Reed gained his place when Dustin Johnson, fresh off his U.S. Open championship, withdrew because of Zika worries.

"I got the email and phone call from Team USA last night and I went through a lot of things with them, and we're all in," Reed said Sunday in Scotland, where he is tuning up for the Open Championship. "We can't wait to go and play for USA and have some fun."

Fowler tweeted his decision: "Looking forward to wearing some red white and blue in Rio @olympics"

Should Spieth decline his place, the next U.S. alternate would be 15th-ranked Matt Kuchar.

In addition to Johnson, the list of other top golfers who will skip the Olympics includes reigning PGA Championship winner Jason Day of Australia, four-time major winner Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, 2013 Masters champ Adam Scott of Australia and three-time major winner Vijay Singh of Fiji.

At least 10 other qualified players turned down spots in Rio, too.