Rory McIlroy confirmed on Wednesday he will represent Ireland should he qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
The former world number one had been torn between either representing Britain, given he was born in Northern Ireland, or Ireland, given he played all his amateur golf under the banner of the Dublin-based Golfing Union of Ireland.
However, McIlroy decided to make public his decision ahead of next month’s International Golf Federation meeting that is set to announce the eligibility criteria for the 2016 and 2020 Olympics.
“Actually, I’ve been thinking about it a lot. I don’t know whether it’s been because the World Cup has been in Brazil and I’ve been thinking a couple of years down the line,” said McIlroy.
“I have also thought about all the times that I played as an amateur for Ireland and as a boy and everything so for me it’s the right decision to play for Ireland, so I’m going to play for Ireland in 2016.”