Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy said he does not believe the Olympic Golf Tournament is on par with the four majors as he arrived in Paris to eye up a gold medal.
The 35-year-old questioned whether it will ever be compared with the The Masters, US PGA, US Open or The Open as he appeared to criticise the qualification system.
McIlroy made the comments as he touched down at Le Golf National in Paris on Monday night following a practice round on the Old Course at St Andrews..
“It’s hard to say [whether the Olympic Golf Tournament will become like a major], as even this week, the way the qualification system works, not all the best players in the world are here,” McIlroy told BBC Sport NI.
“You’d like to think that if you’re going to win something really prestigious in the sport then you want all the best players playing and that isn’t quite happening here.
“It’s still very meaningful and if I were to win a medal, especially a gold medal, it would mean a lot to me.”
However the world number 3, who hasn’t won a major in a decade, conceded that success at the Paris 2024 games would “probably be one of, if not the biggest [achievements] in my career for the last 10 years.”
The NI golfer’s remarks differ to those he made ahead of Rio 2016 when he withdrew from the competition.
“I didn’t get into golf to try and grow the game,” he said back then.
“I got into golf to win championships and win major championships.”
It comes amid a rift in the sport over the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.
The latter has acquired some of the world’s top players who used to compete regularly on the PGA Tour which is currently working on a new commercial deal with the Saudi Public Investment Fund, which bankrolls LIV Golf, in a bid to unify the professional game.
McIlroy, who is competing for Ireland, has previously spoken about how he had “had to get over” his previous dislike of the Olympics and his struggle over which country to represent.