When Rory McIlroy hit an errant tee shot during his opening round at Le Golf National, the Olympic Games, TV cameras caught it and he couldn’t contain his rage.
Rory McIlroy’s use of “colourful language” during the first round of the Olympic golf tournament prompted commentators to issue an apology.
At Le Golf National, McIlroy, who is playing for Ireland rather than Team GB in Paris 2024, got off to a steady start with a three-under-par 68. It was not without flaws, though.
When McIlroy teed off on the par-four 17th hole, he hit it right and proceeded to yell something that looked like a four-letter expletive starting with the letter “s.” The ball ended up in the rough not far from a camera operator.
The Discovery commentators heard the word, even though it wasn’t completely audible, and they quickly apologized for the language. “A colorful character, some colorful language,” one person remarked. “I apologize for anything that came through the mic,” said another.
After a challenging few months, McIlroy is hoping for a much-needed lift in Paris. His quest for a fifth major championship will last into the following year following his second-worst Open performance at Troon. Five weeks after his devastating loss in the US Open, the 35-year-old shot rounds of 78 and 75 to finish 11 over par.
“It’s well documented that I haven’t won one of the big four in ten years,” McIlroy said this week when asked what a gold medal would do for his year. It would most likely rank among my career’s biggest [wins] over the previous ten years, if not the greatest.
“When I last appeared before you guys [the media], I didn’t present a very positive picture of myself at Troon. On Thursday, I want to make sure I’m starting from the proper location.
Once more, I’ve been asked this question a lot: in the hierarchy of my career accomplishments, where would an Olympic medal fall? I doubt I’ll be able to respond to it until after everything is said and done.
“I’m not sure if anything can take a seat next to the majors. Every year, we have four events that are considered the best. However, I believe that this will eventually rank right up there with that.
Competing for the medals are some of the best players in the world. While McIlroy and Shane Lowry are teeing off for Ireland, Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick are representing Team GB.
A who’s who of golf includes the top-ranked player in the world, US player Scottie Scheffler, Australian Jason Day, Norwegian Viktor Hovland, and US player and recent Open winner Xander Schauffele.
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