Rory McIlroy reignites LIV Golf war with brutal response ahead of Olympics

Rory McIlroy has reignited a LIV Golf war on the eve of this week's Olympic Golf Tournament at Le Golf National in Paris.

McIlroy, 35, had appeared to soften his criticism of all things LIV Golf in recent months.

But he went back in hard again on Tuesday.

McIlroy was asked for his thoughts on the qualifying criteria as it currently stands for the Olympics and whether or not it's something of a blow to the event that a number of LIV Golf stars failed to qualify. 

Golf qualification for the Olympic Games is currently limited to 60 players through the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR).

The top 15 players on the OWGR are eligible for the Olympics, up to a maximum of four golfers from a single country.

Team USA are the only nation to have four representatives this week in Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark.

After the top 15, the Olympic Golf Rankings (OGR) consist of up to the top two eligible players per country, as long as that country does not already have at least two players in the top 15.

As a result of the current system heavily rewarding the top 15 on the OWGR, it means a number of LIV Golf stars such as Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith and Tyrrell Hatton have all missed out on competing at the 2024 Olympic Games.

LIV Golf tournaments remain shut out of receiving OWGR points, and so their players can only pick up points via the majors or in DP World Tour or Asian Tour events. 

While LIV Golf superstar and latest winner Jon Rahm is in the field, the Spaniard told the media earlier the International Golf Federation needs to make changes to the qualification criteria and even the format of the tournament.

But McIlroy believes the LIV Golf players that have missed out on competing for their nations this week only have themselves to blame.

Scroll below for McIlroy's brutal response...

McIlroy, who will represent Ireland alongside Shane Lowry this week, told reporters in Paris:

"I mean, I don't think there's any other way to do it because 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, right?

"So 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."

McIlroy's comments have not gone down particularly well with LIV Golf fans on social media ahead of the Olympics.

LIV Golf of course plays 54-hole tournaments with a shotgun start and limited fields, while the PGA Tour plays 72-hole events with a mix of both limited fields and traditional cut events. 

While McIlroy is determined to clasp his hands on a first Olympic gold medal, he doesn't think the Olympics are yet on par with the majors.

"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."

He added: "It’s well documented that I haven’t won one of the big four [majors] in 10 years. It [Olympics] would probably be one of, if not the biggest in my career for the last 10 years.”

McIlroy's comments about competing and contending in the Olympic Games are hugely different to what he said ahead of Rio in 2016.

Back then, McIlroy withdrew from the Olympics and said: "I didn't get into golf to try and grow the game. I got into golf to win championships and win majors."

Why is Rory McIlroy representing Ireland at the Olympic Games?

World No.3 McIlroy is representing Ireland at the 2024 Olympic Games alongside his good pal Shane Lowry, who was the flag bearer for the nation at the opening ceremony last week.

McIlroy, who was born in Northern Ireland, said he has chosen to represent Ireland because he has 'always played for Ireland during junior and amateur days'.

How long has golf been part of the Olympic Games?

Golf is making its third straight appearance in the Olympic Games.

Justin Rose won gold at Rio in 2016 and then Xander Schauffele took gold in Tokyo in 2021.

But prior to 2016, golf had not been at the Games since 1904.