Rory McIlroy will tee it up for Ireland later in the week when the Olympics men’s tournament begins at Le Golf National in Paris, and he has been getting some preparation in at the Old Course, St Andrews.
McIlroy began his practice round shortly after lunchtime on Monday, and footage has emerged on social media of him taking tee shots on the 12th and 16th.
Rory McIlroy is preparing for @OlympicGolf in Paris with a round on The Old Course at St Andrews this afternoon.Here he is hitting his tee shot on the 12th hole. pic.twitter.com/7WBbwRYPBRJuly 29, 2024
Almost inevitably, his appearance at the scene of his Open near-miss in 2022 soon captured the attention of others at the course, with a crowd gathering to see him at the 16th tee, which is located close to the driving range. Meanwhile, he also found time for some friendly banter with a fan over Team Europe's chances at next year's Ryder Cup...
Rory McIlroy getting in round on the Old Course. Love his response to over served American. #RoryMcllroy #oldcourse #standrews #yourenotgonnaloveusnextyear pic.twitter.com/JwpRjMN5DWJuly 29, 2024
He explained it was his first round of golf since missing the cut at The Open two weeks ago.
"Yeah, none of your business why I was there but it's always nice to play St Andrews," he joked in his press conference at Le Golf National.
"Yeah, it was good. I wasn't expecting quite the crowd on the last few holes that we got but yeah, it was good. That was the first game of golf I've had since Troon. I thought at least one game of golf before I got here was probably beneficial."
It’s been a busy, albeit mixed, few weeks for McIlroy. After heartbreakingly missing out on a fifth Major title to Bryson DeChambeau at last month’s US Open, he withdrew from the Travelers Championship, but returned for the Genesis Scottish Open, where he finished T4.
However, while that suggested McIlroy was in the form that could bring him his first Major win in a decade, there was more disappointment the week after at Royal Troon, where he comfortably missed his first Open cut in five years.
After his second round at Troon, McIlroy admitted that, with his fate all but sealed, his mind had wandered elsewhere. He said: "I think once I made the eight on the fourth hole, that was it. 22 holes into the event and I'm thinking about where I'm going to go on vacation next week.
"Yeah, that was basically it. I mean, I knew from then I'd sort of resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going to shoot, four, or five, under-par".
McIlroy’s vacation took him to Portugal, where it will be hoped he has reenergized ahead of his second Olympics appearance.
McIlroy, who was playing with fellow Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin’s agent at the Home of Golf, almost bagged a medal for his country in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. He reached a seven-man playoff for the bronze medal, although Chinese Taipei star CT Pan ultimately made it to the podium alongside winner Xander Schauffele and Rory Sabbatini.
The men's Olympics tournament runs from 1-4 August.
