At a press conference this afternoon in advance of the Irish Open, Rory McIlroy confirmed that he would represent Ireland at the Olympics in 2016.
The topic of who Rory McIlroy would represent in 2016 has been one of much interest and has caused plenty of speculation since it was announced that golf would be part of the Games in Rio for the first time since 1904, and he himself had avoided the question or left his replies vague many times in the past. As recently as February he stated he wasn't sure whether he would declare for Ireland or Team GB, but today he put that all to bed.
His statement was definitive, as he noted that it was the "right decision", but it had been a long process: "I have been thinking about the decision a lot and remembered all the times I represented Ireland as an amateur" he said, during the announcement.
He will more than likely be one of the most high profile athletes in the Ireland team as a result, but given his wealth of experience, that's unlikely to give him too many headaches.
Via BBC.
