“I’m very happy with the decision I made and I’ve no regrets about it”. They’re as passionate about the Olympics as I am.
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McIlroy, who a fortnight ago said the Olympics was not the pinnacle of the sport so he had no problem skipping the Games, was more outspoken. “If golf wants to stay in the Olympics and wants to be part of the Olympic movement, it has to get in line with the rest of the sports”.
“I think there are times in your career where you know you need to be single-minded and maybe there are times of your career where it’s time to give back”.
He was thrown a soft-ball to begin, then looked at his audience and said: “I can already see by far that’s going to be easiest question I receive”.
“T he first chance I had a chance to win it was at the Old Course at St Andrews and that was a unique opportunity. I don’t know if there’s a ceiling, but if there is, it seems like it’s being nudged a little bit higher month after month, year after year”.
“Honestly, I don’t think it was as hard a decision for me as it was for (Spieth)”, McIlroy said.
Sevens, of course, is the mini-version of the sport, which the International Olympic Committee can more easily assimilate, whereas golf gets the Full Monty.
“The hardest decision I have ever made in my life”, Spieth said.
“This is health concerns as a whole”, Spieth said, not specifying, but possibly referring to other security issues.
“This year I just had to try and weigh a risk that doesn’t present itself every year”, he said.
Spieth said he didn’t make up his mind until Monday morning, and the decision was his alone.
“I certainly have thought about all that and it’s something I’ve looked forward to since it was announced”.
Two-time major victor Jordan Spieth and world number one Jason Day were both level par through three and two holes of their respective rounds. Barring further defections, the USA will be represented by Bubba Watson, Fowler, Patrick Reed and Matt Kuchar.
“I can’t worry about other guys”, McIlroy said. “I’ll be texting with Rickie (Fowler) throughout as a good friend of mine”, Spieth said. There are obviously drugs that can make you stronger. I didn’t get into golf to get other people into the game. It was only when he was leaving the room that the 22-year-old Texan smiled and said to no one in particular, “Do we have a tournament this week?” I just think it has its own category.
“More people from the golf circles from men’s golf are pulling out because of the Zika virus, it’s because they don’t want to be hypocritical”.
Under the qualification rules, the US men’s team will have four representatives, because all are ranked in the top 15 in the world, while no other nation will have more than two.
Rory McIlroy still considers himself a full-fledged member of the Fab Four.
Apparently, McIlroy wasn’t feeling almost as torn as Spieth about his choice to not be an Olympian.
“I don’t feel like I’ve let the game down at all”, he said, when pressed on his own withdrawal from the Games. I got into golf to win championships and win major championships.
It was typical Montgomerie, who was given the honour of hitting the first tee shot at 6.35am on his return to The Open for the first time since 2010.
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McIlroy thinks golf needs to improve its doping standards.
