Though Rory McIlroy has reconsidered his Olympic plans, he still has a long way to go before he can return to Paris with an Irish medal.
Having entered the competition in 2016, the world No. 3 had previously expressed doubts about golf’s inclusion in the Olympics. The Northern Irishman was also faced with a dilemma in choosing to represent Ireland or Great Britain.
He gained a new perspective, though, after losing out on a bronze medal in a seven-way playoff at the Tokyo Games in 2021, and he is eager to try again for Ireland. McIlroy is excited to play in the August 1 tournament at Le Golf National, which is located an hour southwest of Paris.
“I felt resentment towards the Olympics because I had always tried to stay so neutral and it presented me with this option of, what are you going to do?” he said to The Guardian.
“I had to move past it. I played for Ireland throughout my entire amateur career. Being an Irish player made me very proud. Why, therefore, would I act in a different way as a professional?
“Tokyo brought me back to my amateur days.” There were federations present. meeting folks from the amateur game that I hadn’t seen in many years.
I had a great time, and I’m sure Paris will surpass my expectations because I’ll be able to attend some of the additional events. I made comments about it before I had actually experienced it, kind of like the Ryder Cup. I can’t wait to visit again.
However, McIlroy faces formidable obstacles. He’s had a painful few months, having lost the US Open last month, which was his first major title in ten years, and then missing the cut at The Open Championship last week by five strokes.
At Le Golf National, the venue of the 2018 Ryder Cup, the 35-year-old has likewise had a mixed record. Though McIlroy had a mixed week personally, Europe easily defeated them 17.5–10.5.
After world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and the recently crowned Champion Golfer of the Year, Xander Schauffele, McIlroy is ranked third in the betting going into the event. Meanwhile, Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick will represent Team GB.
Particularly Fleetwood has an incredible record at Le Golf National. He won the Open de France in 2017 and then combined with teammate Francesco Molinari to play a crucial part in Europe’s Ryder Cup victory the following year.
The team known as “Moliwood” scored all possible points in both the foursomes and fourballs that week, and Fleetwood is hoping for a repeat performance.