When told that Jordan Spieth said opting out of the Olympics was the toughest decision he’d ever made, McIlroy shook his head.
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“Honestly, I don’t think it was as hard a decision for me as it was for him”.
“He said, “No worries. you’re just going to be jealous when I get that gold”. “Because I’m a huge believer in Olympic golf”, Spieth said Tuesday during a news conference that touched only briefly on his bid for the third leg of the career Grand Slam at the British Open.
“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”.
“Obviously I’ve gotten to know a lot of athletes over the years and whether it be coming to their houses and doing blood and urine [tests] I think drug testing in golf is still quite far behind some of the other sports”.
“Unfortunately, this is going to be a very, very hard thing for me to do to watch the opening ceremonies and watching my peers compete for a gold medal or any medal for that matter, and watch people stand on the stage and hear the national anthem playing”.
“But, look, I get where different people come from and different people have different opinions”.
“I’m very happy with the decision that I’ve made and I have no regrets about it”.
“I’ll probably watch the Olympics, probably the events like track and field, swimming, diving – the stuff that matters”.
The sport has been brought back into the Olympic fold for the first time since the 1904 Games in St Louis.
Speaking ahead of this week’s Open, McIlroy said he was “very comfortable” with his decision to pull out of the Olympics, adding he may not bother watching the Rio golf action on TV.
The long line of withdrawals has raised questions about whether golf should be an Olympic sport. He admitted to being tested “four to five times a year”, a total he said was “very little” compared to other sports. Asked what kept him out of the Olympics, the 22-year-old Texan would only say that it was personal and anyone in his shoes would have made the same choice.
“I don’t expect anybody to understand, but trust that I believe I’m making the right decision for myself for my future and for those around me”.
“But I’ll make it a goal to be at Tokyo in 2020”.
“I texted Rickie immediately after I decided and said, ‘Rick, I’m sorry, buddy, but I’m not going to be joining you down there”, added Spieth.
Critics feel that the top golfers never wanted to play in the Olympics in the first place and are simply using Zika fears as an excuse not to participate.
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“This year I just had to try and weigh a risk that doesn’t present itself every year”, he said.
