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TROON, Scotland -- Rory McIlroy still considers himself a full-fledged member of the Fab Four.No chance hell get kicked out of the group, certainly not without putting up quite a fight.As if to show hes still as relevant as ever among golfs elite players, even as he approaches the two-year mark since the last of his major titles, McIlroy pulled no punches Tuesday leading to the British Open at Royal Troon.He called out golf for its lax drug-testing procedures and questioned the relevance of his sport being part of the Olympics, saying he wasnt even sure hed watch it on television.And, if there was any doubt that he still deserves to be mentioned in the same breath with Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth, McIlroy pointedly reminded everyone how they rank in terms of majors.Ive got four major championships, and Id love to add to that tally, he said, just as those guys would love to add to their one or two majors that they have and just keep going.Message received.McIlroy missed last years British Open at St. Andrews after tearing a ligament in his left ankle playing soccer with his buddies, denying him a chance to defend the title he won in 2014.I guess its the start of a new chapter for me in the Open championship, he said. Im determined not to miss any more, for the foreseeable future anyway.Hes even more eager to add another major title to his trophy case.Two years ago, McIlroy followed up his victory at Royal Liverpool by winning again in the PGA Championship. He was the most dominant golfer in the game, the guy everyone else was chasing as Tiger Woods faded from view. But golf is a fickle game, and players such as Woods, who remain on top for years at a time, dont come along very often.In 2015, Spieth surged to the pinnacle by winning the Masters and the U.S. Open, and just missing out on a playoff at St. Andrews. Before the year was out, Day had claimed his first major title at the PGA Championship, holding off Spieth.Then, at this years U.S. Open, it was Johnsons turn to shine. After some excruciating near-misses in the biggest events, he finally claimed his first major with a dazzling display at Oakmont.The game is in a great state, said defending British Open champion Zach Johnson, one of only two players outside the Fab Four to win at the past eight major championships. Great, young talents carrying it and pushing it. I dont know if theres a ceiling, but if there is, it seems like its being nudged a little bit higher month after month, year after year.Even though McIlroy hasnt been a serious contender at the majors since his victory at Valhalla, McIlroy sees no reason for concern. Hes still only 27, an enormous talent who surely has some of his best golf still in front of him.He rolled his eyes when someone mentioned a reference in the British media that he was on the verge of becoming the Ringo of the Fab Four.Probably the first time Ive been compared to the Beatles, he said, managing only the hint of a smile. Im happy where my game is. I cant worry about other guys. If I focus on myself and make sure that Im playing the best that I can, Im pretty confident that ... Im going to win more times than not.McIlroy has other things on his mind as well.He called on golfs major governing bodies to step up their anti-doping efforts, which he said are limited to a handful of urine tests each year.I could use HGH and get away with it, so I think blood testing is something that needs to happen in golf just to make sure that it is a clean sport going forward, he said. If golf is in the Olympics and golf wants to be seen as a mainstream sport as such, it has to get in line with the other sports that test more rigorously.Ahh, the Olympics.So far, its been the predominant story line in the buildup to the golfs oldest major championship, with Spieth announcing Monday he would follow the lead of McIlroy, Day and Johnson by not playing in Rio next month when the sport rejoins the Summer Games for the first time since 1904.All of them cited concerns over the Zika virus as the primary reason for staying away. But, while Spieth said Tuesday it was probably the hardest decision Ive ever had to make in my life, McIlroy was much more cavalier about skipping the Olympics.I dont think it was as difficult a decision for me as it was for him, McIlroy said. I dont feel like Ive let the game down at all. I didnt get into golf to try and grow the game. I got into golf to win championships and win major championships.That was clearly a shot at golfs Olympic boosters, who have said its the best way to spread the sport to nontraditional areas, with South America being at the forefront this year.But McIlroy made it clear hes not in that camp. In fact, he made it sound as if golf doesnt belong in the Olympics at all.Im very happy with the decision that Ive made and I have no regrets about it, McIlroy said. Ill probably watch the Olympics, but Im not sure golf will be one of the events I watch.So, what will he watch?Probably, he replied, the events like track and field, swimming, diving -- the stuff that matters.Another zinger from a player who has no intention of fading away.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .Rickey Henderson Padres Jersey . By having more great seasons. 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"Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland.SAN FRANCISCO -- Jeff Samardzija lost his bid for a no-hitter, then Yoenis Cespedes punished a mistimed curveball. That was enough to drop the San Francisco Giants out of first place.Noah Syndergaard and Jeurys Familia combined on a three-hitter and Cespedes homered off Samardzija, leading the New York Mets over San Francisco 2-0 on Sunday night.Samardzija (10-9) held the Mets hitless until Curtis Grandersons leadoff double in the seventh. Cespedes followed with his 25th home run, a towering two-run blast that appeared to clear the stands in left field.You dont really worry about that (the no-hitter) until later in the game, Samardzija said. For me, I was just worried about the score.The Giants dropped to second in the NL West after entering the day with a half-game lead on the Dodgers. Los Angeles beat Cincinnati earlier Sunday.Samardzija was sharp for a third straight start that followed a stretch of 11 outings in which he had just two quality starts.I liked where hes at and he carried that into todays game, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. He pitched his heart out and ran into a hot hitter.Samardzija tried to sneak a 1-0 curveball past Cespedes, who homered for the third time in two days to help split the four-game series.We were behind in the count and I assumed (Cespedes) was sitting heater and I thought we could get something he could roll over there or a swing and miss, Samardzija said. Hes a heck of a hitter, I played with him in Oakland and I know what he can do. Hes a clutch guy.Syndergaard (11-7) allowed two hits over eight innings for his second consecutive win following a six-start skid. Its Syndergaards 20th career victory in 49 games.Thats just a great pitching effort by (Samardzija), he did a terrific job, he gave us a chance against one of the best, Bochy said. Youre not going to see better stuff than what we faced tonight.I dont know who would have hit (Syndergaard) tonight. He was that good.Familia retired three batters for his major league-leading 41st save. It was also the 900th victory of manager Terrry Collins career, making him the 10th active manager to reach the milestone.ddddddddddddWeve had a tough time, but if youre going to win, your good players have to play good, Collins said. We ride those guys. Hopefully this is the start of what weve been looking to do.Samardzija remained winless in four career starts against the Mets. Samardzija allowed only three hits and two runs over seven innings and struck out seven.The duel between Syndergaard and Samardzija was in stark contrast to the first three games of this series, when the teams combined for 40 runs. Only two runners from either team reached second base Sunday, and both scored.San Franciscos first two baserunners were thrown out trying to steal second. Catcher Rene Rivera caught Trevor Brown in the third and Eduardo Nunez in the fourth. Prior to that, opponents had successfully stolen 40 bases in 44 attempts against New York with Syndergaard on the mound.The Giants also made a pair of sparkling defensive plays. Brandon Crawford made a diving stop on Jose Reyes sharp liner in the first inning, then second baseman Joe Panik robbed Reyes of an infield single with two outs in the sixth when he fielded a slow grounder and flipped it to first base with his glove.STOP, DROP AND ROLLMets third base coach Tim Teufel had to react quickly to avoid being hit by a line drive from left-handed hitting James Loney in the fifth. The ball narrowly missed Teufel as he dropped to the grass on his back.TRAINERS ROOMGiants: Buster Posey did not start but had a pinch-hit single in the ninth. ... OF Angel Pagan was kept out of the lineup with tightness in his groin. Pagan has the longest active hitting streak in the majors at 18 games.UP NEXTGiants: Madison Bumgarner (12-7) faces the Dodgers on Tuesday to begin a key series in Los Angeles between the top two teams in the NL West. Bumgarner is winless in two previous starts against the Dodgers this season. ' ' '