Ireland offers McIlroy chance to carry flag at Rio Olympics

[colin007]

I'd love to go to Ireland, looks beautiful. My problem isn't with history, its with people who think they're better than others by virtue of where they happened to be born, which they had no control over.

[k-troop]

Originally Posted by colin007

I'd love to go to Ireland, looks beautiful. My problem isn't with history, its with people who think they're better than others by virtue of where they happened to be born, which they had no control over.

Certainly not a fault Americans can ever be accused of.

[colin007]

Certainly not a fault Americans can ever be accused of.

;-)

[Wansteadimp]

Rory talking in the UK press about skipping the Olympics to avoid all the hassle, can't see the IOC being happy about that!

[KrazyTrain18]

Interesting, I think he will play for Ireland in the end, not because of the flag carrying shenanigans, but because he was born there, and so were his parents.  He may feel more British, but that isn't necessarily who he'll play for.  Like said above, GMAC will probably also have a talk with him about it.

[Wansteadimp]

He was born on the island of Ireland but in the country of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland. My understanding is that he is entitled to passports of both countries but at this stage only has a UK passport. So you can chop the where he was born argument anyway you want. It's a mess and skipping the Olympics would solve it from that point of view. On the other hand the idea of an Olympic title and pressure from IOC may sway him to make a decision and live with the controversy.

[saevel25]

Yea being born in Northern Ireland, and having that whole battle between Ireland and British connection is tough. If i was Rory, i would seriously consider stepping out on this one. I am not sure if violence will pick up again, but he is a sports icon over there, and when you rub people the wrong way, especially over something as fresh as this topic, i think its best to just not rile things up.

[Wansteadimp]

Rory has choosen Ireland over GB & NI, which no doubt will be a big deal.

What should be a bigger issue IMHO is the lack of depth the field will have - currently 24 out of the top 50 will qualify, and only 35 out of the top 100 - peak of the game my ass.

[Crim]

Rory has choosen Ireland over GB & NI, which no doubt will be a big deal.

What should be a bigger issue IMHO is the lack of depth the field will have - currently 24 out of the top 50 will qualify, and only 35 out of the top 100 - peak of the game my ass.

“I have been thinking about the decision a lot and remembered all the times I represented Ireland as an amateur,” McIlroy said. “I have played for Ireland my whole life and there’s no reason to change that now. It’s just a continuation of what I’ve done.

“I played junior golf for Ireland, I played amateur golf for Ireland. Just because I am getting paid to play this great game now, it doesn’t mean things should change. It’s a decision I feel comfortable with and I’ll be proud to represent Ireland in 2016. I’m 100% sure it’s the right decision for me and I hope people respect my decision.

“It was a decision I had put off because I didn’t want to upset or offend anyone in any way. I have always been very proud to wear an Irish T-shirt or an Irish uniform.”

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jun/18/rory-mcilroy-olympics-ireland-golf

I've gotten the impression that many golf fans from the Republic of Ireland could care less. Many even wanted him to play for Britain based off of previous comments. If this is how McIlroy truly feels today, then I'm happy he chose to represent Ireland once again. Is he still holding the torch for Ireland then???

[boogielicious]

Doesn't matter.  The Olympic golf course in Brazil is not going to be completed on time.  They supposedly have grass growing.

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/after-months-delays-encouraging-news-olympic-course/