Rory McIlroy’s long and winding Olympic journey comes up just short

SMALL MARGINS: Ireland’s Rory McIlroy reacts to a missed putt in yesterday’s fourth round of the men’s individual stroke play at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games at Kasumigaseki Country Club, Saitama, Japan. Picture: Inpho/Morgan Treacy

It’s nine years since Rory McIlroy won the BMW Championship in Indiana and then told the world that he felt more British than Irish. Five years and one month since he really started to run rings around the idea of playing golf at the Olympics.

McIlroy doesn’t feel a connection to the Union Jack or the Tricolour. He couldn’t sing ‘Amhran na bhFiann’ or ‘God Save the Queen’. He has come out straight and declared emphatically that patriotism is just not his thing. He was comfortable with that. And then the Olympic question was asked and it became uncomfortable.