Rory McIlroy has revealed how he “resents” the Olympics because of the way he was left feeling when he pulled out of representing Ireland in Rio.

The world number two was one of a host of the sport’s biggest names not to compete at the first Olympic golf event since 1904, with Team GB’s Justin Rose eventually taking the gold medal.

McIlroy, born in Northern Ireland, initially opted to represent Ireland rather than Great Britain before taking the decision not to participate at all. Now the 27-year-old says he has plenty of ill-feeling towards the Olympics as a result.

“I started to resent it,” he told reporters.

“And I do. I resent the Games because of the position it put me in – that’s my feeling towards it – and whether that’s right or wrong, it’s how I feel.

“When it was announced in 2009 or whatever, all of a sudden it put me in a position where I had to question who I am. Who am I? Where am I from? Where do my loyalties lie?”

McIlroy said he sent Rose a text after his victory but still did not feel as though he had made a mistake by deciding against competing.

With four majors to his name, McIlroy now resides in Florida, where he plays a lot of golf with former world number one Tiger Woods.

Woods, arguably golf’s most famous face, has 14 major wins to his name, but McIlroy insists he would not trade his own level of anonymity in the United States for Woods’s trophy haul.

He added: “I’ve seen what his life is like in Florida. I’ve played golf with him and said: ‘What are you doing tonight? Do you want to come and have dinner with us?’ And he can’t.

“He just can’t. And for me that’s unfathomable. I could not live like that. If someone was to say, ‘You can have 14 Majors and 70 wins but have to deal with that, or nine Majors and 40 wins and stay somewhat the same as you are’, I’d take the second option all day.”