Rory McIlroy says winning a gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games would be one of his "biggest achievements" in the last 10 years. (Full Olympics Coverage | More Sports News)
McIlroy is competing in his second Games having narrowly missed out on a podium finish in Tokyo after losing a seven-way play-off for bronze.
It has been a tough season for the Northern Irishman, who suffered U.S. Open heartbreak after letting his lead slip on the final four holes before he failed to make the cut at The Open earlier this month.
McIlroy's last major win came in 2014, with his wait for a fifth title now stretching into an 11th year. But making his return to the summer tournament, the Northern Irishman is ready to challenge for the top prize.
"For me, it's well documented I haven't won one of the big four in 10 years so it [a gold medal in Paris] would be one of, if not the biggest, achievements of my career in the last 10 years," McIlroy said.
"I've obviously had a bit more time off than I wanted with not playing the weekend at The Open, but I'm excited to be here and at a golf course where I've got a lot of fond memories from the Ryder Cup a few years ago.
"I was really close to winning a medal last time – I said I'd never tried as hard to finish third in my life – so once you're in there and especially if you are in contention for a medal, you feel the buzz of it, and it's really cool."
Golf returned to the Olympic schedule in 2016 after a 112-year hiatus, though only six of the top 12 male players in the world competed at Rio, with none of the then-top four involved.
However, eight years on from its reintroduction, only two of the top 10 golfers will not be in Paris, with Patrick Cantlay and Bryson DeChambeau ineligible for the United States due to four Americans sitting above them in the rankings.
DeChambeau, who won the U.S. Open in June, plays on the breakaway LIV circuit, which does not qualify for ranking points.
Only seven LIV players will be in the Olympic field, and McIlroy had little sympathy for those who missed out, despite recently taking a more accepting view of the tour.
"I think that's the nature of qualification for the Olympics," McIlroy added. "You could have the fifth-best sprinter in the world but if he's from a certain country, he's not able to make it.
"So I think it's just the way that the qualification works in the Olympic Games, and that's not just in golf.
"It's hard to compare the golf that they play to the golf that we play.
"That's the reason they didn't get world ranking points. If you want to qualify for the Olympics, you knew what you had to do.
"Just like if you wanted to qualify for the Ryder Cup, you knew what you had to do. They were very aware of the decision they made when they did."
