Shane Lowry believes Olympic gold would make up for missing out on a second Open title, while Ireland team-mate Rory McRoy is targeting his biggest win in a decade.
Lowry took the mid-lead at Royal Troon, while McIlroy missed the cut but struggled with a third-round 77 to finish sixth, five shots behind Olympic champion Xander Schauffele.
“I felt I had a good chance of winning the Open a few weeks ago and I was really disappointed I didn’t get better on Saturday and Sunday,” said Lowry, who described being one of Ireland’s flag bearers on the opening day as an “amazing experience”.
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Watch highlights from the final round of The Open at Royal Troon as Xander Schauffele shoots a stunning six-under 65 to win the Claret Jug.
“After that, I felt like I had a chance to redeem myself here in a few weeks.
“If you look at the atmosphere and media back home when Mona (McSharry) won bronze (100m breaststroke), if I win gold and bring it back to Ireland, then yes, it would be pretty cool.”
McIlroy will have to work another decade to win a fifth major title after his second-worst performance at Troon in 35 years. He shot rounds of 78 and 75 to finish 11-over, just five weeks after suffering a heartbreaking defeat at the U.S. Open.
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Rory McIlroy missed the cut at the Open after struggling in windy weather at Royal Troon.
Asked how a gold medal would impact his year, McIlroy said: “It's a well-known fact that I haven't won one of the Big Four in 10 years. It would be one of the biggest (wins) of my career in the last 10 years.
“The last time you (the press) saw me, I didn't give a very good account of myself at Troon. I want to make sure I'm in the right place to tee off on Thursday.
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McIlroy shot a horrendous 7-over 78 in the first round of the Open Championship.
“Once again, I get asked this question a lot. Where does an Olympic medal fit in the hierarchy of my career achievements? I guess I can only answer that when it's all said and done.
“I don't know if there's a tournament that can compete with the majors. We have four tournaments a year, and that's the gold standard. But I think over time this will become one of them.”
McRoy and Lowry both welcomed the possibility of introducing mixed or non-mixed team events in Los Angeles in 2028, and dismissed suggestions that the absence of U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau at Le Golf National this week would diminish the scale of the competition.
All four U.S. players – Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clarke – finished in the top six in the world. DeChambeau finished ninth despite only earning ranking points at the majors, as LIV golf events do not award ranking points.
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Josh Antmann and Alex Perry discuss whether Xander Schauffele could be the next golfer to complete the Grand Slam of major titles after winning The Open at Troon.
Asked whether the world rankings were the best way to determine Olympic qualification, McRoy said: “I don't think there is any other way because it's hard to compare the golf played (at LIV) to the golf we play.”
“That's why they didn't get world ranking points. They knew what they had to do to get to the Olympics. They knew what they had to do to get to the Ryder Cup. They knew the decision they were making when they did that.”
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Rory McIlroy was spotted by some American fans while playing a round at St Andrews, and attention quickly turned to next year’s Ryder Cup! Source: TheSecretOfStAndrews.com
McRoy will play alongside Ryder Cup teammate Ludvig Overi and world number one Scheffler on the first two days, while Lowry will play alongside South Korea's Byeong-Hun An and Canada's Nick Taylor.
After the Olympics, Rory will compete in the Wyndham Championship, the final regular event of the PGA Tour season, from August 8-11, while Rory and McRoy will compete in the FedEx St. Jude Championship next week, which will both be broadcast live on Sky Sports Golf.
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