TROON, Scotland -- What a difference a day makes.
On Tuesday, Rory McIlroy found himself fighting his way out of a corner he backed himself into with his answers to questions about his decision to withdraw from next month's Olympic Games.
McIlroy's drastic change of heart from a few months ago -- "I feel like I have a responsibility to grow the game" -- to now -- "I didn't get into golf to try and grow the game, I got into golf to win championships and win major championships" -- shows a player frustrated at having to bat away questions about what he does with his own time. It's been the dominant subject of debate around Royal Troon.
What Open Championship?
Fast-forward 24 hours, and Justin Rose is sitting in the very same chair, beaming from ear-to-ear. He's just been confirmed as one quarter of Great Britain's Olympic golf team for Rio, along with Danny Willett, Catriona Matthew and Charley Hull.
As the wind and rain bashes away at Royal Troon's media tent, Rose's approach is warm and comforting. The news conference has a Ryder Cup feel to it, and while there are still two major championships to be played before the Games, it's patently clear that Rose simply cannot wait to get to Rio.
"The history of the Games, in terms of how long it's been going on and how many great athletes have been before us and represented Team GB, that obviously makes it an honor," he says.
And that's the key word for Rose: Team. He may have only played three Ryder Cups in 18 years as a professional, but it's a stage on which he duly thrives. Just ask the U.S. teams of '12 and '14.
"Being part of a group bigger than your own individual sport. Being part of Team GB, which is going to be about 350 athletes, is something to behold and something to be proud of."
And Rose isn't going to Rio to play four rounds of golf, (hopefully) take his place on the medal-winners' podium and fly home. He's in it for the long haul, from the opening ceremony on Aug. 5 to the end of the golf event nine days later.
"I want to take it all in," he explains. "I want to be a part of the opening ceremony. I want to see what that was all about. I feel like that would make it very real and that would help inspire me in terms of the occasion and give me a scale of what the Olympics is all about.
"I also want to feel what the Olympic Village was all about, spend a couple nights [there] early in the week, where things are going to be very relaxed for me and I have the opportunity to potentially take in some of the other competitions. That's another thing I want to do down there is actually view some of the Games. I've never been to an Olympic Games, so being a spectator as well for the first day or two, as well as getting on with my own preparations."
After being asked which Olympians he grew up watching, Rose's smile quickly becomes more mischievous.
"Olympic Crispy," he says, laughing. "That's what I called [former gold medalist sprinter] Linford Christie when I was a kid.
"That was one of my earliest Olympic memories, the 100 meters, and, in more recent times, Usain Bolt with his cool celebration." Rose admits he is yet to come up with a victory celebration -- but may open it up to his social media following for suggestions.
Zika aside, the touchiest subject surrounding golf's return to the Olympics is the format: stroke play, 72 holes, 60 players. Where have we seen that before? But Rose feels it's the right choice.
"If you're looking at getting the truest champion, [it] is the tried and true format. If you start to get funky team formats, it can dilute a certain player's potential. If you have a country with a great player and a weaker player, that's probably not fair to the great, or higher-ranked, player. It's the most reliable format, so I'm very comfortable with it."
Then the dreaded phrase that has haunted the golfers pulling out of Rio: grow the game. Rose's response is in stark contrast to how McIlroy went about matters on Tuesday.
"Do I feel like it's nice to give back? Yes. I've received a lot from the game of golf. The way [New Zealand's rugby team] the All Blacks go about their mentality is something we can all learn from. If you wear the No. 8 All Blacks shirt, you leave it in a better spot than you found it. That would be a nice way to think about things, from my point of view."
On a personal level, Rose says he would like to look back on a career that reads "multiple major champion and Olympic gold medalist" -- at the moment, just the 2013 U.S. Open has been ticked off that to-do list. But comparing Olympic gold to a major title is chalk and cheese, Rose admits.
"I don't think you can compare the two. I think [the Olympics] is going to have a little niche category, and I think that it's always going to be potentially read out that way. It's going to be right there alongside the major championships, but not compared to. I just think it has its own category. It's once every four years. It's very unique. It's very different. It's very special.
"I know [tennis player] Andy Murray for example, they have their Grand Slams and he won the gold medal. That was a huge occasion, and he'd probably put them in different columns but at the very top of each column."
With all the animosity and controversy that's been caused by golf's return to the Olympic Games for the first time since 1904, Rose's approach to the biggest sporting showpiece on earth is a breath of fresh air to what should be an exciting time for golf.
As for McIlroy's jibe that's been the talk of the town, Rose is confident it was just "one of those moments".
"Hopefully it was a slip of the tongue."