Rory McIlroy’s priority must be looking after No 1

While it was a statement I suspected was coming for some time, there is no doubt that yesterday’s decision by Rory McIlroy to pull out of the Olympic Games has greatly undermined the efforts of the world’s golfing organisations to re-introduce golf into the games after a 112-year absence.

On the surface, Ireland has now lost a legitimate gold medal candidate but so too has the Olympics as it could easily have justified its decision to bring golf back into the games by the level of exposure McIlroy would have brought with him to the games.

Instead it now seems that the full ramifications of his decision will only be felt long after the games have come and gone.