2024 Olympics golf: Rory McIlroy among stars realizing true value gold medal alongside major championships

Rory McIlroy, as you have certainly heard, has not won a major championship in 10 years. While that has undoubtedly been a disappointment for one of the best golfers of the modern era, there are still other championships for which to contend; one of them takes place this week at 2024 Paris Olympics.

"It would be the achievement, certainly of the year," said McIlroy of potentially winning a gold medal at the Olympics where golf is being played for just the third time since 1904. "... For me, it's well documented that I haven't won one of the big four in 10 years. [Winning gold] would probably be one of, if not the biggest [achievement] in my career for the last 10 years."

In 2016, McIlroy famously disparaged Olympic golf at the Rio de Janeiro Games, not only refusing to play the event but noting that he would be more focused on the more traditional Olympic sports. At the time, golf was making its first appearance in the Olympics in 112 years.

"I'll probably watch the Olympics, but I'm not sure golf will be one of the events I watch," McIlroy said in 2016. As for where his attention would be, he said, "Probably the events like track and field, swimming, diving … the stuff that matters."

Like many McIlroy statements from early in his career, he ultimately changed his mind and reassessed his position. McIlroy competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and lost out on bronze medal in a playoff. The experience -- how much it meant, how meaningful it became -- surprised him.

McIlroy has since spoken about how his effort in London reshaped his view of golf in the Olympics.

"I'd say my focus is pretty high," McIlroy added. "The last time you guys saw me, I didn't give a very good account of myself at [The Open Championship at Royal] Troon. I want to make sure I'm right where I need to be teeing off on Thursday. I've been asked this question a lot: Where would an Olympic medal sit in sort of the hierarchy of my career achievements? It's something I probably won't be able to answer until when everything is said and done.

"I think as golf is in the Olympics for a longer period of time, it will become more of -- I don't know if anything will be able to sit alongside the majors. We have our four events a year that are the gold standard. But I think this is going to be -- in time, going to be right up there amongst that."

McIlroy is not alone in his assertion -- that he was previously incorrect -- about what Olympic golf means. Jason Day, the world No. 1 at the time also skipped the games in 2016 and is just now making his debut in Paris. He said there is some regret about not going to Rio de Janeiro, and it has hit him what this event means.

"The rarity of winning a medal in golf, they only give out three, you know?" Day said. "It would be pretty cool. To be honest, before I came over, like all my mates were like, 'Dude, you're an Olympic athlete.' They kept saying it. I'm like, 'Man, whatever, that's fine.'

"Now, after they kept saying it, I can understand how important and cool it is to call yourself an Olympic athlete because once you're an Olympic athlete, you're always an Olympic athlete. To have the opportunity to win a medal is very exciting to think about."

Current world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has won nearly everything he's looked at this year: six victories, including a Masters and some near misses at other majors. Still, he has high hopes for the week.

"If I don't [win], my life is certainly not going to end," Scheffler said, "but it would be extremely special to have a gold medal, and it's definitely one of the reasons why I'm here this week. I love going to watch table tennis yesterday, but that's not why I showed up."

As for where a gold medal would rank in the hierarchy of worldwide golf events, Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick, who is also making his debut, said it well.

"The gold medal isn't at the top of every golfer's list, the four majors are. There's no doubt about that," he said. "But I'd certainly say it's underneath that. I think probably, before I arrived here and kind of got the feel for the Olympics itself, you probably underestimate how big it is. And once you are here and you realize the gravity of the whole event and how much it means to other people -- not just as an athlete and golfer -- you realize that a gold medal would feel very special."

Several players this week have discussed that seeing the passion shared by athletes from other sports really hit home for them. Certainly golf at the Olympics has come a long way since from where the biggest stars in the sport saw it in 2016, writing it off as a lesser tournament.

While Olympic golf will probably never usurp the major championships in terms of importance, it offers something those events can never provide: scarcity. As Day explained, only three medals are handed out -- and they're only up for grabs once every four years. That in and of itself brings weight to an event that is only getting heavier.