Can someone please explain this? The media and the sports loving public always moan about sportspeople churning out the same old nonsense - the 1 percenters, wanting it more than the others, nailing core roles, team culture blah blah blah. And then Rory McIlroy comes along and says it the way he feels it. He doesn't rate golf as an Olympic sport - would prefer to watch something that matters like track and field or swimming - and says he has no misgivings about not going to Brazil. Ironically of course the top women golfers have no issues with it - but the blokes do. It has nothing to do with Zika and everything to do with the majors and green jackets, and the claret jug. Golfers love tradition and there are mega bucks and mountains of kudos to be gained from winning pinnacle events and in their eyes the Olympics just doesn't rate. McIlroy is entitled to his opinions, and it's awesome that he had the guts to articulate them. Commentators have said he will regret what he said. But at this point in time this is what he believes. How refreshing to actually hear someone say what they believe and not just parrot what their spin doctor has told them to say. Rory - top job my man. Maybe Jordan Spieth feels the same way though he talked about not going as the toughest decision of his life. Jason day spoke very candidly about his family and how he wants to have extra children - he seemed extremely genuine. Certainly all the Olympics talk adds extra spice to the British open. The links course looks like it will be a graveyard to some. How interesting it will be if the world's top players who have decided not to go to rio excel on the links course. Rio would be better for all of them to be there - but in McIlroy's case it takes guts to tell the truth even if the words of Al Gore it's the "inconvenient truth" for golf's administrators. But as we all know sometimes the truth hurts - and McIlroy should be respected not castigated.
