Rory declares allegiance to Ireland for 2016 Olympic Games

Rory McIlroy will tee off at today’s Irish Open relieved he has finally taken the plunge and declared allegiance to Ireland ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.

Having worn green to his pre-tournament press conference at Fota Island Resort in Cork yesterday, McIlroy put an end to several years of speculation about whether he would play for either Great Britain and Northern Ireland, where he was born in Co Down in 1989, or Ireland, the country he had represented as an amateur under the auspices of the all-Ireland governing body, the Golfing Union of Ireland.

Speculation had been swirling around the 25-year-old and his fellow Ulster major winner Graeme McDowell since the decision was taken by the International Olympic Committee in 2009 to re-admit golf to its Summer Games in 2016.