Rory McIlroy ‘glad to be proven wrong’ about the Olympics

Jordan Spieth was not the only marquee name to skip the Olympics, but he was alone among the Big Four in admitting that he regretted not playing in Rio.

Spieth, along with world No. 1 Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, and Rory McIlroy, determined for various reasons — the Zika virus, a hectic PGA Tour schedule, security and other very real Rio-related issues — that they would not participate in golf’s return to the Summer Games for the first time since 1904 (1900 for the women). Last year’s wunderkind made it clear that his 11th-hour decision was a difficult one, and, reading between the lines of his remarks on Wednesday at Bethpage, he might come up with a different answer in hindsight.

“I watched it. I really enjoyed it. It came off I thought tremendous for the game. I enjoyed watching the finish to the Olympics and I wished I was there,” Spieth said ahead of this week’s Barclays, the first of four FedEx Cup series events.

“At the time I made the decision, it was the right decision for me,” Spieth added. “I told you guys in that press conference, it was the hardest thing I’ve had to do. The potential for regret was going to be there and it certainly was while I was watching, so that’s why I tweeted out, ‘I’m looking forward to setting it as a goal to be there in 2020.’”

Justin Rose’s win over Henrik Stenson on the final putt on the 72nd hole provided just the excitement that supporters of golf in the Olympics were hoping to see. Golf’s future in the Summer Games beyond 2020 is up in the air, but even the guys who passed up chances for medals this time around were looking forward to Tokyo.

Day, who previously said he watched only the last hole of the men’s tournament, would again forego Rio but acknowledged that he hoped to play for his country in four years.

“I think after seeing how everything kind of unfolded in Rio with how the golf was played, I think it was well received amongst the world, actually,” Day said. “I’m looking forward to Tokyo. If I can play my way on to that team, that would be great. It’s four years away obviously. There’s a lot of golf to be played from now until then. If I can play my way on to that team, that would be fantastic and look forward to representing Australia in Tokyo if I can.”

Rickie Fowler’s not-so-subtle attempts (via his numerous social media posts) to make the no-shows wish they were in Rio may have had the desired impact on Spieth. Others held their ground, though.

“I checked the scores on the golf just to see how it was going, but that’s about the extent,” said DJ, who tuned in to some Olympics events but not the sport from which he had taken a vacation.

“I would have loved to have gone and played,” Johnson said. “But to me, the risk wasn’t worth it. So that was the reason I didn’t go. But I would have really liked to have gone. I think it would be a neat experience and a lot of fun, and especially winning a gold medal would be even more fun.”

Even McIlroy, who created quite the stir when he said he would only watch “stuff that matters” at the Olympics, conceded on Wednesday that he was off-base about golf in Rio.

“I saw Henrik and Justin’s fairway woods at the last, and I saw the chip shots and I saw the putts and I saw the medal ceremony,” said McIlroy, who caught the finale on Sunday afternoon after spending the weekend in a cabin in upstate New York that had no TV or electricity.

With ticket prices reportedly going for some $16, Rose and Stenson played to a full house, which was quite a contrast to the empty seats in many other Olympic venues.

“It pleasantly surprised me. There was more people at the golf events than there was at the athletics. It was good to see, it really was,” McIlroy added. “It seems like it was a great atmosphere down there. I think it was one of the cheaper tickets, as well, and I think that encouraged a lot of people to go … To see the crowds and see the turnout, I was glad to be somewhat proven wrong.”

The fifth-ranked golfer in the world might want to pass the word along to Zach Johnson, who has taken over Rory’s place as the Olympics curmudgeon.

The two-time major champion who, unlike McIlroy, did not qualify to play in the 2016 Olympics, recently blew off steam about the mess the Games made of the tour schedule.

”Oh, I didn’t watch golf,’’ Johnson said. “I’d rather watch the sports that should be in the Olympics.”

Claiming that golf is “relevant 24-7, 365,” ZJ was ticked off about the jam-packed schedule that had the men playing the PGA Championship just two weeks after the British Open.

“The fact that it [the Olympics] put a kink in our schedule this year irritates me,” Johnson said. “To mess with the four tournaments that matter most [the majors] because you’re at the Olympics, I’ve got a strong, strong disdain for that.’’

Rose, who drew Zach Johnson (and journeyman Kyle Reifers) for Thursday and Friday’s opening rounds at Bethpage, will have two days to try to change ZJ’s mind.