Rory McIlroy has done a 180 regarding his stance on the Olympics.
McIlroy did not play at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. He did not seem very enthusiastic about competing at the Summer Games in Tokyo either.
McIlroy said prior to the Olympics that he was not a very patriotic guy but was participating just to represent the sport of golf.
Now, after competing and contending for a medal, McIlroy’s stance has changed, and he feels the beauty of the Olympics.
“I made some comments before that were probably uneducated and impulsive, but coming here experiencing it, seeing, feeling everything that goes on, not just Olympic golf but just the Olympics in general, that sort of Olympic spirit’s definitely bitten me and I’m excited how this week’s turned out and excited for the future,” McIlroy said on Sunday.
The 32-year-old Irish golfer was part of a 7-way tie for third that entered a playoff to determine the bronze medal winner. Though he did not win the bronze, which went to C.T. Pan, McIlroy said he had never competed so hard for third place. He also said he was already excited about competing in the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Overall, McIlroy acknowledged that he’s a bit of a skeptic. That led him to be skeptical of the Ryder Cup and the Olympics. But once he participated in both events, he learned how special they were and was proud to be proven wrong.
