Rory McIlroy was one of the many PGA Tour and LIV Golf stars — including gold-medal winner Scottie Scheffler — to praise the atmosphere and intensity of the Men's Golf competition at Le Golf National for the Paris Olympics throughout the week.
The vibes were so electric, in fact, that McIlroy believes the Olympics — which re-added golf in 2016 after 112 years off — has the potential to become a premier event in the sport, especially as its talent pool remains divided.
“Amazing,” the Irishman said about the atmosphere, after finishing T5 at 15-under, two strokes back of bronze medalist Hideki Matsuyama (Japan). “We were talking about it out there and (Nicolai Højgaard) reckons it's the best tournament he's ever been involved in, and he's played a Ryder Cup.
“I still think that the Ryder Cup is the best tournament that we have in our game, pure competition, and I think this has the potential to be right up there with it. I think with how much of a sh-t show the game of golf is right now and you think about the two tournaments that might be the purest form of competition in our sport, we don't play for money in it.
“So it speaks volumes for what's important in sports and what's important, I think every single player this week has had an amazing experience.”
After spending two-plus years as an outspoken LIV critic, McIlroy changed his tune toward the end of 2023. The four-time major winner has since advocated for a partnership that unites global golf. In the spring, McIlroy implied his bid to return to the policy board was blocked by current members who want the PGA Tour to operate independently of LIV Golf's backer, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia. Instead, a subcommittee, featuring McIlroy and Tiger Woods, was created to negotiate with PIF.
“He kind of bounces around with his opinion, you know,” 2021 gold medalist Xander Schauffele said in response to McIlroy's comments after the final round in Paris. “He's reverted on that topic. There's something to be said about it. There's a lot of heart and patriotism. You're proud of what you're doing and the colors you're wearing. That's probably what he's reverting to.
“It is a different feeling, and this year was incredible. If you were in Tokyo, it's cool, and this year is very different with the fans and the people and being able to see other games. It was much closer to what is a real Olympics experience.”
McIlroy surged into medal contention with five straight birdies to start his back nine. His momentum was firmly halted when his wayward approach on no. 15 found the water, leading to a double-bogey. At the same juncture, LIV's Jon Rahm — who briefly held a four-shot lead on Sunday — posted 4-over through holes nos. 11-14. Schauffele, too, reeled off an uncharacteristic string of bogeys around the turn.
“Yeah, when I got to 10 and 11, I looked at the board and I was 14 and Jon had got to 20. So I was like — I didn't feel like I had a chance,” recalled McIlroy.
“Then I looked at the board again after I birdied 14 and I was one behind and I was like, ‘Holy sh-it, what just happened?' Even that wedge shot on 15 … I hit the shot I wanted to hit but I didn't get the ball in the air enough for the wind to carry it the extra three or four yards I needed to. Tried to stay aggressive and land a wedge between the front edge and the hole. Missed my spot by nearly three or four yards and that ended up costing me a medal.”
Meanwhile, Scheffler — and France's Victor Perez, with a crowd-pleasing 63 — charged up the leaderboard. The no. 1 player in the world birdied four of his last five holes to polish a bogey-free, course-record-tying 62.
“I thought the crowds were great this week. I was pretty surprised the first day by just how big they were. It was great, you know, hearing the cheers,” said Scheffler. “The way they supported the French players this week was pretty unbelievable. Some of the guys were talking about the French players, almost getting the Tiger treatment out there, getting chants and cheering for them every hole.”
The golf competition in the 2028 Olympics will be held at Los Angeles' famed Riviera Country Club, which should only add another layer of prestige onto the event. The PGA Tour and PIF can reach a deal by then, right?
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