Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy admitted that they never grew up dreaming of becoming Olympic champions but they are both relishing the prospect of playing a first Olympic Games in front of fans in Paris this summer.
Lowry and McIlroy are teaming up for this week’s Zurich classic at TPC Louisiana and they will be looking to combine again in July at Le Golf National and give Ireland a maiden Olympic medal in golf.
“Yeah, obviously growing up playing golf, you never dreamed of being an Olympic champion, so when golf came to the Olympics it was kind of a strange feeling to have,” said Lowry who swerved the 2016 edition in Rio but played in Tokyo in 2021. “But doing the last Olympics with Rory together in Japan, albeit it was a COVID Olympics so it was a little bit different, we both realized what it meant to go out and try and win an Olympic medal for your country.
“I think that’s something that excites me and excites both of us to go back to Paris this year and try and do that.
“For me personally, I know to go back to Ireland with an Olympic medal would be like a dream. Yeah, something that is high on my bucket list for this year.”
McIlroy also gave the 2016 games a miss but he was very emotional after narrowly missing out on a bronze medal in 2021 after losing in a seven-way playoff.
The Holywood man’s Olympic allegiances have always been up for debate but there is no doubt he was giving everything three years ago.
“I was in a seven-way playoff in Tokyo for a bronze medal, and I’ve never tried so hard to finish third in my life.
“Yeah, look, we didn’t grow up dreaming of winning an Olympic medal because that just wasn’t something that was on our radar. Major championships have always been what has been the greatest achievement in the game of golf, but once you’re there and you get into that Olympic spirit, it really sort of — I don’t know, something happens inside of you, and you really get a sense for what it means to so many people. As Shane said, even to just be able to call yourself an Olympian, but then if you were able to win a medal, that would be incredibly special.”