Rory McIlroy has spoken candidly about the importance of the Paris Olympics as he looks to overcome his major heartache.
The 35-year-old came agonisingly close to ending his decade-long wait for the fifth major title of his career at the US Open. McIlroy was closing in on victory but two cruel missed putts on the final 16th and 18th holes resulted in him giving up his lead to Bryson DeChambeau in agonising fashion. It was the fourth time he had finished as runner-up at a major since his PGA Championship triumph in 2014.
Following the US Open, a dejected McIlroy took a brief spell away from golf as he looked to reset his mind and end his major curse at The Open Championship in July. However, it did not go to plan for the Northern Irishman, who missed the cut for the third day at Royal Troon.
The Olympic Games offer McIlroy a fresh shot at glory, away from the shadow of his major title hoodoo. There is some debate about the importance of Olympic golf compared to the four majors, given that it was absent from the Olympics for 112 years until 2016, but McIlroy has spoken with pride about representing Team Ireland in Paris.
“It would be the achievement, certainly of the year,” McIlroy said when asked about the prospect of winning an Olympic medal. “I think for me, it’s well documented that I haven’t won one of the big four in 10 years. It would probably be one of, if not the biggest in my career for the last 10 years.”
This admission from McIlroy shows he is willing to address his major disappointments, both at the recent Open Championship and his 10-year wait for a fifth title. Ahead of the four-day men’s event getting underway on Thursday, McIlroy was determined to prove that his poor showing at Royal Troon was a one-off in his bid for Olympic glory.
“My focus is pretty high. The last time you guys saw me, I didn’t give a very good account of myself [in the Open] at Troon,” McIlroy admitted. “I want to make sure I’m right where I need to be teeing off on Thursday.
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Andrew Redington/Getty Images)“I’ve been asked this question a lot, where would an Olympic medal sit in sort of the hierarchy of my career achievements and it’s something I probably won’t be able to answer until everything is said and done.
"I don’t know if anything will be able to sit alongside the majors. We have our four events a year that are the gold standard. But I think this is going to be, in time, right up there among that.”
McIlroy, who narrowly missed out on a bronze medal in a play-off at the Tokyo Games, is representing Team Ireland alongside Shane Lowry. The Team GB contingent is comprised of Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick.
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