Rory McIlroy told a journalist to mind their own business in response to a question about why he was preparing for the 2024 Olympics at St Andrews. The world No. 3 is representing Ireland alongside Shane Lowry at Le Golf National this week after raising eyebrows by practising on an incomparable course at the Home of Golf in Scotland.
The Old Course at St Andrews shares very little similarities to the one McIlroy will compete on during the Paris Games, his second successive Olympics after also participating in Tokyo three years ago.
But when that fact was raised ahead of the action teeing off on Thursday, the 25-year-old had no interest in disclosing the thinking behind his preparations.
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"Yeah, none of your business why I was there but it's always nice to play St. Andrews," McIlroy responded during a media gathering at Le Golf National.
"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."
McIlroy endured a nightmare Open campaign at Royal Troon two weeks ago, missing the cut with a below-par performance before Xander Schauffele won his maiden crown.
That worsened a frustrating couple of months after a tie for fourth in the Scottish Open followed his late US Open collapse, surrendering his first major in a decade to Bryson DeChambeau.
McIlroy opted against competing in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and missed out on a medal at the Tokyo Olympics, finishing tied for third before losing a seven-way play-off for bronze.
He admits that victory at the Paris Games would rank as the biggest achievement of the last 10 years of his career after failing to win one of the big four.
While he's under pressure to perform this summer, McIlroy couldn't resist aiming fire at his USA rivals about Europe's 2018 Ryder Cup triumph at Le Golf National.
When asked whether the course's rough was as thick as it was six years ago, the Northern Irishman replied: "It's pretty well - maybe not as..."
Lowry, sat alongside him, added "probably not as long" before he was left laughing when McIlroy continued: "Ask the Americans. I wasn't in it much that week."
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McIlroy has been drawn against USA's world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Sweden's Ludvig Aberg for the opening two rounds of the men's golf tournament.
Scheffler is the favourite to add a gold Olympic medal to his incredible six PGA Tour wins, including The Masters, this season. The trio will tee off at 9.11am on Thursday morning.
Team GB's Tommy Fleetwood is out alongside USA's Wyndham Clark and Japan's Hidecki Matsuyama at 8.44am.
His teammate Matt Fitzpatrick will play alongside France's Matthieu Pavon and USA's Collin Morikawa at 11.06am.
