Rory McIlroy's U-turn on Olympic Games and brutal warning to LIV Golf stars

Rory McIlroy, who once prioritized major championships over the Olympic Games, has had a change of heart. The 35-year-old golfer represented Ireland at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, finishing in fourth place while his rival Xander Schauffele took home the gold medal.

He also competed for Ireland at Le National in France this summer, alongside Shane Lowry. In the past, McIlroy had stated that winning a major championship was more important to him than an Olympic medal. In 2016, during the Rio Olympics, he said: "I never dreamed of competing in the Olympics or winning an Olympic medal. So in my mind, a major will always be more important."

However, his perspective shifted at this year's games. He expressed that winning a medal for Ireland would have been his greatest achievement of 2024 . Speaking at the Paris Olympics this summer, McIlroy confessed: "It would be the achievement, certainly of the year. I think for me, it's well documented that I haven't won one of the big four in 10 years. It would probably be one of, if not the biggest in my career for the last 10 years," reports the Mirror .

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McIlroy , amid controversy, lambasted LIV Golf defectors who couldn't qualify for this year's Olympics. Speaking at Le National before play, he pointedly remarked: "If you want to qualify for the Olympics, you knew what you had to do. Just like if you wanted to qualify for the Ryder Cup, you knew what you had to do. They were very aware of the decision they made when they did."

Further, commenting on Olympic qualifiers, he mentioned: "I don't think there's any other way to do (Olympic qualifying) because it's hard to compare the golf that they play to the golf that we play. That's the reason they didn't get world ranking points, right?."

This summer witnessed seven LIV Golf players entering the Olympic tournament in Paris, including top names Jon Rahm and Joaquin Niemann. However, renowned players such as Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, and Sergio Garcia didn't make the cut.

Notwithstanding his views on the competition, McIlroy didn't clinch a medal at the Parisian Games, tying for fifth with Rahm at -15 under par. It was World No 1 Scottie Scheffler who triumphed at Le Golf National with an impressive -19, while Britain's own Tommy Fleetwood secured silver, and Japan's Hideki Matsuyama earned bronze.

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It's been a decade since four-time major winner McIlroy last tasted victory, with his most recent triumph being the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla. He was on the brink of winning the US Open earlier this year, but DeChambeau outperformed him in the final stages after a series of devastating missed opportunities.

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