McIlroy in no mood to mince words
Four-time major champion offers opinion on Olympics, drug testing and his chances
TROON, SCOTLAND— Rory McIlroy still considers himself a full-fledged member of the Fab Four.
No chance he’ll get kicked out of the group, certainly not without putting up quite a fight.
As if to show he’s still as relevant as ever among golf’s elite players, even as he approaches the two-year mark since the last of his major titles, McIlroy pulled no punches Tuesday leading to the British Open at Royal Troon.
He called out golf for its lax drugtesting procedures and questioned the relevance of his sport being part of the Olympics, saying he wasn’t even sure he’d watch it on television.
And, if there was any doubt he still deserves to be mentioned in the same breath with Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth, McIlroy pointedly reminded everyone how they rank in terms of majors.
“I’ve got four major championships and I’d love to add to that tally,” he said, “just as those guys would love to add to their one or two majors that they have and just keep going.” Message received. McIlroy missed last year’s British Open at St. Andrews after tearing a ligament in his left ankle playing soccer with his buddies, denying him a chance to defend the title he won in 2014.
He’s even more eager to add another major title to his trophy case.
Two years ago, McIlroy followed up his victory at Royal Liverpool by winning again in the PGA Championship. He was the most dominant golfer in the game, the guy everyone else was chasing as Tiger Woods faded from view.
In 2015, Spieth surged to the pinnacle by winning the Masters and the U.S. Open, and just missing out on a playoff at St. Andrews. Before the year was out, Day had claimed his first major title at the PGA Championship, holding off Spieth.
Then, at this year’s U.S. Open, it was Johnson’s turn to shine. After some excruciating near-misses in the biggest events, he finally claimed his first major with a dazzling display at Oakmont.
“The game is in a great state,” said defending Open champion Zach Johnson, one of only two players outside the Fab Four to win at the last 10 major championships. “Great young talents carrying it, pushing it.”
Even though McIlroy hasn’t been a serious contender at the majors since his victory at Valhalla, he sees no reason for concern. He’s still only 27, an enormous talent who surely has some of his best golf still in front of him.
McIlroy rolled his eyes when someone mentioned a reference in the British media that he was on the verge of becoming the Ringo of the Fab Four.
“Probably the first time I’ve been compared to the Beatles,” he said, managing only the hint of a smile.
McIlroy called on golf’s major governing bodies to step up anti-doping efforts, which he said are limited to a handful of urine tests each year.
“I could use HGH and get away with it, so I think blood testing is something that needs to happen in golf just to make sure that it is a clean sport going forward,” he said. “If golf is in the Olympics and golf wants to be seen as a mainstream sport as such, it has to get in line with the other sports that test more rigorously. Ahh, the Olympics. So far, it’s been the predominant story line in the buildup to the golf’s oldest major championship, with Spieth announcing Monday he would follow the lead of McIlroy, Day and Johnson by not playing in Rio next month when the sport rejoins the Summer Games for the first time since 1904.
All of them cited concerns over the Zika virus as the primary reason for staying away. But while Spieth said Tuesday it was “probably the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make in my life,” McIlroy was much more cavalier about skipping the Olympics.
“I don’t feel like I’ve let the game down at all. I didn’t get into golf to try and grow the game. I got into golf to win championships and win major championships.”