Rory McIlroy has set his sights on finishing a so-so season on a strong note as he prepares this week for The Barclays, the first of four FedExCup events that conclude the 2015-16 U.S. PGA Tour. But the men’s field wasn’t quite what it could have been, as the top four players in the world rankings when qualification ended chose to skip the competition.
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“Justin was a great victor”, McIlroy said.
Back in July, in a press conference before the Open Championship at Troon, McIlroy had made the comments about what he planned to watch during the Olympic Games.
Gold medal victor Justin Rose revealed he had received a message of congratulations from McIlroy which implied that the four-time major victor had changed his mind and watched the thrilling climax.
“I saw Henrik (Stenson) and Justin (Rose’s) fairway woods (shots) at the last (hole)”, McIlroy said. “There was more people at the golf events than there was at the athletic events. It was good to see”. It seems like it was a great atmosphere down there.
“To see the crowds and see the turnout, I was glad to be somewhat proven wrong”. But the fifth-ranked golfer isn’t citing the company’s exit as the reason for the switch.
He said on the day he withdrew that his decision would loom over him during the Olympics. It’s hard not to go home, but at the same time Zika was just one of a few issues I felt like I was facing going down to Brazil. I feel like with the change to the mallet it doesn’t encourage the face of the putter to close that much, which was the really bad putt I was getting. “The potential for regret was going to be there and it certainly was while I was watching, so that’s why I tweeted out, ‘I’m looking forward to setting it as a goal to be there in 2020′”. “I didn’t really watch much of the Olympics at all, to be honest”.
The four-time major victor changed his mind after a weekend spent in a cabin owned by his prospective in-laws in upstate NY.
Johnson was in Idaho with his family, and nothing Fowler shared on social media made him jealous.
He had also criticised golf’s place at the Olympics, saying he would not even watch the tournament on TV. I wouldn’t be surprised to see me not go with a manufacturer for a year or two, just sort of play with what I want to play and go from there.
Johnson went on to say that he would change the format to include college players (though I’m not sure you could get enough college players from other countries).
Golf was different from when tennis first joined the Olympics in that almost every player supported it from the start, up until uncertainly about Zika, security and other operational issues that planted doubts about the Rio Games.
“The fact that it put a kink in our schedule this year irritates me”, Johnson told the Post. But to me the risk wasn’t worth it. It was away from the village; I thought it was going to just sort of blend in with everything else and be, not forgotten about, but just one of a lot of sports that are there obviously. “I think it would be a neat experience and a lot of fun, and especially winning a gold medal would be even more fun”. “Doesn’t matter if it’s the Olympics or what golf tournament it is, I don’t watch it”.
Be Civil – It’s OK to have a difference in opinion but there’s no need to be a jerk. “If I can play my way onto that team, that would be fantastic”.
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