Rozner: Can't blame McIlroy for wanting to win

Rory McIlroy committed the sin of honesty last week when he spoke of his decision to skip the Olympics in Rio.

Sure, we ask our athletes to tell the truth, but that's only good when we agree with what they say, right?

Heading into the Open Championship last week, McIlroy explained that he would not be participating in the Olympics, and he was something less than apologetic about it.

That was on the heels of Jordan Spieth suggesting it was a horribly difficult decision for him to back out on golf's appearance in Rio.

"I don't think it was as difficult a decision for me as it was for Jordan," McIlroy said. "I don't feel like I've let the game down at all."

That's when he really stepped in it.

"I didn't get into golf to try and grow the game," McIlroy said. "I got into golf to win major championships."

And that's what got him into big trouble with all those who worked to get golf back into the Olympics.

"I get that I have a responsibility to the game," McIlroy said. "But at the same time I got into golf to win. I didn't get into golf to get other people into the game."

Wow.

"I'm very happy with the decision I made. I have no regrets," McIlroy said. "I'll probably watch the Olympics, but I'm not sure golf will be one of the events I watch."

And if that weren't enough, when asked what he would view on TV, McIlroy said, "Probably events like track and field, swimming, diving … the stuff that matters."

In less than a minute, McIlroy undermined every argument golf's governing bodies had for participation in the Summer Games and hammered the final nail in the coffin for golf being included beyond 2020 in Japan.

Maybe what he said was unnecessary, perhaps even foolish, but what he said was merely what every big-name golfer was thinking when he heard that they would be forced to take part.

It's getting in the way of winning tournaments that matter to them.

They have already seen their entire PGA Tour schedule messed up to accommodate Rio in a Ryder Cup year, and the condensed calendar has certainly been a detriment for some players in 2016.

But the reality is no one gets into a sport to grow the sport. That's sometimes a result of a great performance or a great player, but most people play a sport to win, and the greatest who have ever done anything have been driven by the absolute, unconditional need to win.

In so many words, that's what McIlroy was saying, but a few days later he walked it back a bit.

"Obviously, I feel like I do my bit to grow the game," he said. "It's not as if I'm uninterested. I feel like golf is a great vehicle to instill values in kids.

"I'm an ambassador for the PGA Junior League. I do some stuff for the First Tee in the States.

"If I can somehow make a positive change in the world by what I do on the golf course, whether that means raise money for charity or give kids more of a chance in life growing up, I've been very fortunate to do what I've done in golf and I feel like I've used that success in a positive way."

Added McIlroy, "I think my opinion's shared by a few people, but some people may think it's wrong, and that's fine. But I've spent seven years trying to please everyone, and I figured out that I can't really do that, so I may as well be true to myself."

If Tiger Woods could tell you the truth, he would say the same thing. He plays because he wants to win and break records.

It just so happens that Woods transformed golf and grew the game like no one before him. Arnold Palmer put the game on TV. Woods made it must-see TV.

When Woods turned pro in 1996, No. 100 on the money list (Olin Browne) earned $223,000. In 2015, No. 100 on the money list (Chad Campbell) collected $1.01 million.

That's the Tiger Woods effect. He made millionaires out of players, caddies, broadcasters and network executives who would have never sniffed that cash without Woods' dominating presence.

When he was at his very best, there was never a more captivating athlete in sports history, with the possible exception of Michael Jordan or Muhammad Ali.

That's what grows the game. Greatness grows the game. Extraordinary performance brings in TV ratings and grows the game.

That's what Woods did, and golf will never again see anything like it.

But when you have a duel like Sunday's in the Open between Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson, that's what brings people in and grows the game.

When you have Spieth against Jason Day in the final round of the PGA at Whistling Straits, as was the case a year ago, that's what brings people in and grows the game.

When you have McIlroy in the final round of a major doing something special, that's what brings people in and grows the game.

It's a result of what great players do. It's not what they set out to do. And that's the truth.

brozner@dailyherald.com

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