I probably won’t watch Olympic golf, says McIlroy

The sport has been brought back into the Olympic fold for the first time since the 1904 Games in St. Louis.

Matthew, 46, has qualified for Rio alongside Charley Hull, while Justin Ross and Danny Willett qualify for the men’s competition, with golf returning to the Olympics for the first time in 112 years.

On Tuesday, McIlroy hinted at an underlying apathy towards golf’s place in the Games when when he hit out at a suggestion he had a duty to help grow the game.

Northern Irishman McIlroy, 27, said golf is “all about the four majors” and “that’s the way it should stay”, but that he would consider competing at Tokyo in 2020.

“You can’t really pick up HGH (human growth hormone) in a urine test (so) I could use HGH and get away with it”.

“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”.

Jamie Spence, Team GB’s golf leader, said: “Jack Nicklaus is my hero and he said he’d walk to Rio to play in the Olympics, and I feel the same way”. McIlroy followed him into the room and blasted golf officials who for the last seven years have preached the Olympics as an opportunity to grow the game. “I’ll probably watch the Olympics, but I’m not sure golf will be one of the events I watch”.

That should put to rest three days of consternation about another tournament – the Olympics – that doesn’t have almost the history or the tradition of golf’s oldest championship.

I’m very happy with the decision I made.

“So I don’t think I’m at a disadvantage at all”.

“I’ve been playing well this year, all the top women are going so you know you’re going to have to play well, but I know I’m capable of doing that”.

“I think the thing for us as well, we weren’t as a collective group of professionals approached or asked if it’s what we wanted”.

Fowler finished in the top five in all four majors in 2014, finishing second behind McIlroy in the Open at Hoylake, but is a combined 20 over par in majors this season after missing the cut in the Masters and US Open. Along with taking on the goal of golf in the Olympics, he was annoyed by a newspaper headline that referenced the Fab Four and suggested he was close to becoming Ringo Starr, regarded as the least of four Beatles.

“I will probably watch the events like track and field, swimming, diving, the stuff that matters”.