Fact or Fiction: Rory McIlroy Says the Ryder Cup and Olympics Are Golf's Purest Events

SI Golf's writers and editors also debate whether the Player of the Year race is now over and if 72-hole stroke play is the ideal Olympic golf format.

Scottie Scheffler won a thrilling Olympic men's tournament. / Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome back to SI Golf’s Fact or Fiction, where we're eager to see if Nelly Korda can follow Scottie Scheffler to make a world No. 1 gold sweep.

Once again, we’re here to debate a series of statements for writers and editors to declare as “Fact” or “Fiction” along with a brief explanation. Responses may also (occasionally) be “Neutral” since there's a lot of gray area in golf.

Do you agree or disagree? Let us know on the SI Golf X account.

After winning an Olympic gold medal, the conversation is over: Scottie Scheffler is golf’s Player of the Year. 

Bob Harig: FACT. Two majors are huge and it is understandable why Xander Schauffele would get consideration. And he still might if he were to knock off a playoff event or two and win the FedEx Cup. But if you add the Players and the Olympic gold medal on top of the Masters and then four more wins? Very hard to beat that.

John Pluym: FACT. He won the Players. He won the Masters. He was in contention at the PGA Championship and would have had a great shot if not for the fake arrest. Add Sunday’s incredible round to the resume, and how do you not make him the Player of the Year? I mean, he shot a 9-under 62 including four consecutive birdies in his last five holes to capture the gold medal. Case closed.

Jeff Ritter: FACT. To paraphrase a, um, phrase: if you want to crown him, then go ahead and crown him. I suppose there’s a chance Xander wins two playoff events and the FedEx Cup and we’re revisiting this question in a month, but I think Scottie has done enough at this point.

John Schwarb: FACT. I wasn’t completely sold on Xander having the edge even with the 2-1 major count, given Scottie’s five other wins, all of them top-shelf. But this gold medal, won the way Scottie won it, completely ends the chat. 

Sunday’s finish at Le Golf National confirmed that Olympic golf should continue to use a 72-hole format. 

Bob Harig: FACT. The question has more centered around other formats that could be utilized such as teams and not so much how to determine an individual champion. Most agree that if you are only going to have one medal, then 72 holes is the way to go. Adding a team element certainly seems a popular idea as well.

John Pluym: FACT. I like the 72-hole format. I thought all four rounds were like watching a major golf tournament. You certainly could award medals to teams based on best aggregate score over the 72 holes. So teams would certainly make Olympic golf even more interesting.

Jeff Ritter: FACT. This format works … but I still want to see a co-ed team component tacked into it.

John Schwarb: FACT. As great as Sunday was, if Olympic golf is played for the next 100 years then there will be some lackluster finishes—just like majors have sometimes. But the best player will be identified. And as much as I want to see some kind of team component, I wouldn’t want the 72 holes compromised. 

Rory McIlroy said the game of golf at the pro level is “a sh-t show” and that the Ryder Cup and Olympics might be its purest competitions, given the lack of prize money. He’s right about which two events may be the best in golf.

Bob Harig: FICTION. There is no doubt the Ryder Cup is terrific but it is also hard to beat the drama of the major championships. The Olympic golf was great, but so, too was the Masters and U.S. Open.

John Pluym: FICTION. How do you top the Ryder Cup, Masters, U.S. Open and the Open Championship? Major championship game is hard to beat (I’m not a big fan of the PGA Championship). The Olympic golf over the past few days was filled with drama, but I don’t know that it tops the aforementioned tournaments. If McIlroy makes two putts inside of 5 feet, I doubt he would be calling professional golf a “sh-t show.”

Jeff Ritter: FICTION. Rory probably got a little caught up in the Olympic spirit, which is nothing to apologize for. But I suspect he’d trade an Olympic gold or a Ryder Cup for a green jacket to complete a career slam.

John Schwarb: FICTION. I’m not willing to call Olympic golf completely pure as long as the OWGR plays such an outsized role in who gets to compete. Sure, I’m looking forward to Riviera in 2028 but it won’t consume my thinking until that summer. The two best events in golf are the Masters and the Ryder Cup—both up in the next 13 months. Perfect.