Rory McIlroy gives hot take on LIV Golfers' Olympic qualification, says 'the golf they play is hard to compare' with others
Rory McIlroy is at the Olympics in Paris right now, hoping to bring gold or at least a medal to Ireland. Several other golfers, including some from LIV Golf, are trying to do the same for their countries. It's one of the rare occurrences where LIV and PGA golfers are competing in the same event.
McIlroy, speaking about LIV Golf players in the current field, said it's difficult to know what to expect from them since their format, which LIV is known for, is vastly different.
The Ryder Cup star said (via Golf Monthly):
"I don't think there's any other way to do [Olympic qualification] 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. So 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."
LIV golfers do not get OWGR points, which is partially why Bryson DeChambeau isn't in the field. His performance in the Majors while very admirable was not enough to get him into the field for the USA over Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler.
It has been a sore spot for LIV since its formation as they have tried on more than one occasion to get ranking points for their events to no avail. It's what Rory McIlroy believes makes the Olympics an interesting event for Jon Rahm and others.
Rory McIlroy chasing gold to remedy 2024 struggles
It has not been a banner year for Rory McIlroy. He did earn a few wins, including a Signature Event, but he was winless in the Majors once again. He hasn't won one in a decade. The loss at the 2024 US Open will likely haunt him for a long time.
After all that, a gold medal is still within reach and it might go a long way towards changing the perspective of his year. Via the Guardian, he said:
“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."
He admitted that he wasn't in the right spot at The Open, but is ready to take on the Olympics and add a career achievement that he doesn't know what he will feel about until he achieves it.
McIlroy added:
“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, right up there among that.”
He does have stiff competition for the medal in Scheffler, Schauffele and Rahm among several others.