Rory McIlroy is not usually in high spirits after finishing fifth, but here at the Olympic tournament he called it “the best tournament I’ve ever played in, apart from the Ryder Cup.”
McIlroy, who as an Ulsterman exercises his right to represent Ireland at the GamesHe was one off the lead when he stood in the middle of the 15th fairway with a wedge in his hand and, after adding five birdies in the previous five holes, confirmed that “all I was thinking about was gold right now.”
However, the world No. 3 found the water in front of the green and the resulting double bogey sent him tumbling, eventually finishing four behind Scottie Scheffler. Who beat Tommy Fleetwood for gold?In Tokyo, he was defeated in the bronze medal play-off and this time he came very close. However, In good mood for the success of the week as a whole for his sport.
“It’s been incredible,” McIlroy said after a 66 took him to 15 under. “We were talking about it there and Nico (Hojgaard, his playing partner in the final round) considers it the best tournament he’s ever played in, and he’s played in a Ryder Cup.
“I still think the Ryder Cup is the best tournament we have in our sport, pure competition, but I think this one has the potential to be right up there. Think about how much of a spectacle golf is at the moment and then think about the two tournaments that might be the purest form of competition in our sport, we don’t play for money in them. So it says a lot about what’s important in sports and what’s important, I think every player this week has had an incredible experience.”
Of course, McIlroy has been Heavily involved in negotiations between the PGA Tour and the breakaway golf circuit LIV As the warring parties try to reach a peace deal to unify the sport, prize money has soared amid this sporting civil war as both sides try to attract big names.
Not only does McIlroy think it is unsustainable, he also believes that fans are being put off by the ridiculous sums. Progress has apparently been made on the deal, but McIlroy is not confident that a resolution will be announced any time soon. “There are so many golf tournaments and not enough weeks in the calendar,” he said. “Something has to give.”
McIlroy, 35, will remain in Paris until Tuesday with his wife Erica to try to watch some Olympic events. “This has been my first Games where it’s felt like the Olympics, I guess,” he said. “We weren’t able to interact with any other athletes in Tokyo because of Covid. Being able to go to some of the other events and feel the spirit of the Olympics and what it’s all about, and having dozens and dozens of athletes come from all over the world to compete in their individual sports and be a part of that, it’s been really cool.”
McIlroy will soon be back in action. He will play in the start of the three-week FedEx Cup playoffs in Memphis in 10 days. He missed the cut at last month’s US Openwhich meant he spent the entire decade without adding anything to his haul of four major titles. He acknowledges there is urgency.
“I feel like I’ve been the almost-win guy in golf for the last three years,” he said. “Obviously, I want that trend to change and go from being the almost-win guy to winning golf tournaments again. It’s all well and good to say I’m close, close, close. Once I actually cross the threshold and turn these almost-miss moments into being close to winning, that’s what I’ve got to do.”
