The Olympic Question: golf blog

Golf Monthly: Golf Blog

I don't think I'm alone in saying that I am utterly confused by this Rory/Olympics saga. No body seems to know the regulations or what they should do. But, I would have thought the solution was obvious.

The confusion all began last year when the then world number one hinted to his anxiety over the decision of which nation to represent at the 2016 games in Rio.

Mcilroy said ‘Whatever decision I make, whether that's play for Ireland, play for Britain, not play at all maybe just because I don't want to upset too many people...'

Firstly, the mere fact that the young superstar maybe considering missing the games entirely should have golfs governing bodies shaking in their spikes.

If golf is to fully capitalise on the exposure of the Olympic games and the new faces that it will introduce to the sport, then its most marketable and exciting talent has to be competing.

This situation needs to be resolved sooner rather than later.

The R&A waded into the debate recently, hinting that the decision maybe out of Mcilroys hands due to his representing Ireland at Amateur level and in world cup competition.

But, this isn't a sure thing either. Golf's unique structure means that any application of normal Olympic regulations seems to be difficult if not impossible.  

So confusion is definitely the word that surrounds this debate. However, I am not sure where it's coming from. Mcilroy's choices are between Ireland and Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Mcilroy was born in Holywood, Northern Ireland. Am I missing something?