RORY MCILROYhas handed another amazing snub to golf at the Olympics, saying he will not even bother to watch it on TV.
McIlroy said he will only tune in to the sports that really matter such as athletics, swimming, and diving!
And he dismissed suggestions he had a duty to help the game become more popular, saying he did not treat the game as a popularity contest.
McIlory was searingly honest as he answered questions on his decision to miss Rio because of fears over the Zika virus.
Jordan Spieth had earlier declared sidestepping the Games was one of the hardest decisions of his life.
But McIlroy commented: Honestly, I dont think it was as difficult a decision for me as it was for him. I dont feel like Ive let the game down at all.
I didnt get into golf to try and grow the game. I got into golf to win championships and win Major championships, and all of a sudden you get to this point and there is a responsibility on you to grow the game.
And I get that. But at the same time thats not the reason that I got into golf. I got into golf to win. I didnt get into golf to get other people into the game.
Look, I get where different people come from, and different people have different opinions. But Im very happy with the decision that Ive made, and I have no regrets about it.
Ill probably watch the Olympics, but Im not sure golf will be one of the events I watch. It will probably the events like track and field, swimming, diving - the stuff that matters.
McIlroy also believes golf has to step up its anti-doping procedures to be considered a serious Olympic sport he revealed that he has never been ordered to take a blood test, only to provide an occasional urine sample.
He added: Ive undergone Olympic testing once this year and that was the Friday of the US Open. But it was only a urine test. I havent been blood-tested yet.
On average, I probably get tested four to five times a year, which is very little compared to the rest of the Olympic sports.
Obviously Ive gotten to know a lot of athletes over the years, and whether it be coming to their houses and doing blood and urine, I think drug testing in golf is still quite far behind some of the other sports.
For example, HGH is something you cant really pick up in a urine test. I could use HGH and get away with it. So I think blood testing is something that needs to happen in golf just to make sure that it is a clean sport going forward.
But, again, I dont really know of any drug that can give you an advantage all the way across the board in our sport. So I think the threat of doping in golf is pretty low.
There are obviously drugs that can make you stronger. There are drugs that can help your concentration. But whether theres something out there where it can make you an overall better player, Im not sure.
But, yeah, I think if golf is in the Olympics and golf wants to be seen as a mainstream sport, it has to get in line with the other sports that test more rigorously.
If golf wants to stay in the Olympics and wants to be part of the Olympic movement, it has to get in line with the rest of the sports.