RORY McIlroy has confirmed that he will play for Ireland – and not Great Britain - at the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
The 25-year-old from Co Down was eligible to play for either side and his choice had been the subject of on-going speculation.
However, speaking today at Fota Golf Club ahead of Thursday’s Irish Open, McIlroy put an end to his agonising.
He said: “I see this as a continuation of what I have always done. I have been thinking about it a lot. I don’t know if it is because the World Cup is in Brazil and I was thinking a couple of years down the line.
“I was thinking about all the times I have played for Ireland as a boy and everything. For me it is the right decision to play for Ireland.”
McIlroy had previously hinted that he might opt for Britain when golf makes its return to the Olympics for the first time since 1904, saying he “felt more British than Irish”.
The remark led to widespread criticism of the 25-year-old in Ireland.
He later justified it by saying: “It was a moment, I don’t want to say of weakness, but a moment of, I guess, frustration with it all.” He later threatened to sidestep Rio, so as “not to offend anyone”.
Last January he told the BBC: “I just think being from where we’re from, we’re placed in a very difficult position.
“I feel Northern Irish and obviously being from Northern Ireland you have a connection to Ireland and a connection to the UK. If I could and there was a Northern Irish team, I’d play for Northern Ireland.”
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