Long before their Masters epic, Justin Rose was intrigued as to why Rory McIlroy removed himself from contention at the Olympic Games. That was after Northern Irishman McIlroy found himself at the centre of an international tug-of-war between Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.
He ultimately opted to give the Rio 2016 Olympics a miss altogether after growing weary of the debate. The 35-year-old’s overlapping lineage makes him eligible to compete for either nation, but the tensions became all too tribal for McIlroy’s liking as he withdrew from 2016 consideration. Rose – who took his rival to a play-off on Sunday before losing the 2025 Masters title – ended up winning gold in Rio de Janeiro while Rory was nowhere to be seen. And following a congratulatory text from McIlroy in the wake of that win, Rose said he and other golfers were wondering how he felt about missing out.
McIlroy told the Sunday Independent: “If I had been on the podium [listening] to the Irish national anthem as that flag went up, or the British national anthem as that flag went up, I would’ve felt uncomfortable either way.”
“I don’t know the words to either anthem. I don’t feel a connection to either flag. I don’t want it to be about flags; I’ve tried to stay away from that.”
The build-up to the Rio 2016 Olympics proved problematic for McIlroy due to the debate over allegiances and what his choice represented on a patriotic level. At the time, he was somewhat nonchalant about his decision to abstain.
“I guess I was, at the start whenever I was thinking of playing at the Olympics, I think I let other people’s opinions of me weigh on that decision,” he told the official Olympics website in 2019. “At the end of the day, it’s my decision. I can’t please everyone. The only people who really care about who I play for, who I represent, don’t mean anything to me.”
Something seemingly changed after those Summer Games, however, as McIlroy eventually did opt for Irish representation. Both he and good friend Shane Lowry played on behalf of the tricolour at Tokyo 2020 and again in Paris three years later.
Not that the podium debate was relevant in the end anyway. McIlroy placed for a share of fourth in Tokyo – just missing out on the medal places – before tying for fifth at last year’s Olympics.
Having finally broken his duck at Augustaand completed the career Grand Slam, perhaps Olympic gold is a logical next goal for McIlroy. And his next opportunity will come in an appealing location as the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles prepares to host in 2028.