Some have questioned golf’s inclusion, citing the busy professional schedule in summer and suspecting that many top players care far more about trying to win major championships.
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Men’s golf still has eight of the top 15 players in the world competing in Rio, though losing the top four could be a big setback in its bid to stay in the Olympic program.
And their views will be strengthened following McIlroy’s comments.
“After speaking with those closest to me, I’ve come to realise that my health and my family’s health comes before anything else”, the Northern Irish golfer said in a statement.
As if to show he’s still as relevant as ever among golf’s elite players, even as he approaches the two-year mark since the last of his major titles, McIlroy pulled no punches Tuesday leading to the British Open at Royal Troon.
“I don’t think it was as hard a decision for me as it was for him”, he said, referring to Spieth.
“Because I’m a huge believer in Olympic golf”, he said.
Asked what he’ll watch instead, McIroy replied, “Probably the events like track and field, swimming, diving”.
“At this stage in my career, when it’s once every four years, I think it’s something you can certainly make an exception for, and that’s been my attitude towards it”. And I think it’s genuine.
But he seems unconcerned by the criticism, saying: “I have no regrets about it”.
“I have already booked a ticket for Rio and hopefully I will be able to make my country proud in the golf event”. It’s nearly beyond certain that you would have never even seen or stepped into the CHAMPIONS locker room. This is just something that was very, very challenging for me.
On Tuesday at Royal Troon, where McIlroy is looking to become only the fourth player to win five majors before the age of 30, McIlroy dropped in like one of Daenerys’ dragons from Game of Thrones and blew fire all over the Olympics. “And just at the time that I had to make the decision, I just felt this was the right move for me”.
McIlroy also believes golf needs a more rigorous approach to drug-testing to fall in line with other Olympic sports.
Rory McIlroy says golf must improve its drug-testing regime as he could “get away with” doping as it stands. This was something I very much struggled with. “So I will not be playing that week”, he said. “Obviously with golf being an outdoor sport played around the water out there 20, 30 miles out from the city, you are probably at higher risk than most other athletes in most other sports who are in much more of a contained environment”. I will be pretty upset that I’m not down there.
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The two-time major victor branded the choice, panned in many golf circles, as the most hard of his life – tougher than, as he said, where to attend college and when to turn pro.
