While McIlroy has won virtually all there is to win in the game of golf, one thing he has not yet managed to get his hands on is an Olympic medal.
A competitor at the Games in Tokyo and Paris, the closest he came was reaching a bronze medal play-off over in Japan.
Northern Ireland has had its fair share of golden moments, however.
The most famous of them all was Lady Mary Peters who won pentathlon gold at the Munich Games of 1972.
Stephen Martin and Jimmy Kirkwood were a part of the Team GB hockey squad who won gold at Seoul ’88 but for 52 years Peters was the only individual who calls Northern Ireland home to stand on the top of an Olympic podium.
Then, across two incredible weeks in Paris last summer, four more golds followed, two in individual events and two as part of teams.
Swimmers Daniel Wiffen and Jack McMillan, in the 800m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle relay respectively, enjoyed success in the pool with rower Hannah Scott and gymnast Rhys McClenaghan matching their feats.
Paralympians Michael McKillop (middle-distance runner), Bethany Firth (swimmer), Kelly Gallagher (para-alpine skier), Jason Smyth (sprinter), and James Brown (cyclist) have all collected their chosen discipline’s greatest prize too, in some instances multiple times.
Could McIlroy add his name to the list at Los Angeles 2028?