Rory McIlroy prepares for Paris Olympics in perfect way after double setback

Before competing on the world’s biggest stage at the Paris Olympics, Rory McIlroy took to the greens and fairways of a historic golf course in preparation. On Monday, McIlroy was spotted playing a casual round at The Old Course at St Andrews. Footage posted on social media captured the 35-year-old hitting blistering tee shots on holes 12 and 16, as well as engaging in playful banter with the reported 100-200 fans who gathered to watch him play. In response to one enthusiastic American singing McIlroy’s praises, the Northern Irishman humorously retorted, “You’re not gonna love us next year!” in reference to the 2025 Ryder Cup.

McIlroy’s current focus, however, is on the Olympics men’s tournament, which kicks off on Thursday at Le Golf National. After several tumultuous weeks, he could benefit from a strong performance — and perhaps even a gold medal — in Paris.

In June, McIlroy suffered an agonizing defeat at the US Open, blowing a two-shot lead over eventual champion Bryson DeChambeau with five holes remaining. The world No. 3 golfer subsequently announced he’d be momentarily stepping away from the sport, but returned in time for the Genesis Scottish Open, where he tied for fourth place.

McIlroy struggled to find similar success at the Open Championship earlier this month, enduring a miserable couple of days at Royal Troon before missing the cut. He finished 11 over par through 36 holes and five shots below the cut line, while his rounds of 78-74 marked his worst two-round total at a major since the 2013 Open Championship.

Speaking to reporters after his early exit, McIlroy admitted his heart wasn’t fully in the Open once he buried himself in too deep of a hole due to a poor start. “I think once I made the eight on the fourth hole, that was it,” he said. “22 holes into the event and I’m thinking about where I’m going to go on vacation next week.”

Swiftly putting his poor performance in Scotland behind him, McIlroy and his wife, Erica Stoll, soon after went to Portugal for a family vacation with their daughter, Poppy. Now back from the brief getaway, McIlroy hopes to represent Ireland proudly during his second appearance in the Olympics. Three years ago, he came just short of securing a medal in the Tokyo Games, losing to C.T. Pan in a seven-man playoff for bronze.

As for why McIlroy will represent Ireland instead of Great Britain in the Olympics, he explained, “As I said previously, once I left trying not to upset anyone aside, then it was actually a pretty easy decision. The decision was I’m going to play golf for the country or the nation that I’ve always played for through my junior and amateur days and now into the professional game. And that’s Ireland.”