There is logic to Rory McIlroy playing for Ireland

Rory McIlroy should be respected for making a bold decision about playing in the Olympics.

Whatever you think about him playing for Ireland, this proves he is very much his own man. Rory is the youngest of Northern Ireland’s three Major winners, alongside Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke.

The other two have not yet revealed their intentions, and Rory has not waited to copy them. Still only 25, it’s another sign of how McIlroy has taken hold of his own career. He’s not been afraid to change management twice already.

This is a very sensitive and complex issue, but Rory has been decisive in announcing his intentions two years before the Olympics.

If he had done nothing, pressure would have built about his intentions and it would have created a momentum all of its own. Things could have reached such a crescendo that Rory might have skipped the event because of all the furore.

This shows how much he wants to be an Olympian. He was at London 2012 when his ex-fiancee Caroline Wozniacki was playing tennis for Denmark and saw what it meant.

There is logic when Rory says that he is playing for Ireland because he represented Ireland at amateur level.

It’s a complicated issue, though, because in golfing terms, there is no North or South, just Ireland, similar to Rugby Union. The Golfing Union of Ireland represents the whole country.

That body will have supported him on and off the course when he was growing up, so this is a small way of giving something back.

I remember Ireland twice winning the old Dunhill Cup at St Andrews, with Ronan Rafferty, David Feherty and Philip Walton in the team a perfect blend from all over the country.

Now Rory has been left in a thankless position. We all know the difficulties when sport and politics mix, and issues are decided by governing bodies and organisations.

It’s a bit like the situation with the Team GB football at London 2012. Scotland and Wales were worried about their players being involved in a ‘united’ team.

As a sportsman, Rory is desperate to be in Rio because the Olympics are the pinnacle of excellence. If I could turn back the clock, I’d have done anything to take part.

The golfing bodies will be thrilled that Rory will be there. They need the sport to thrive and so, the best players must play.

Stars like Tiger Woods and Adam Scott will want to go because of the glory of being an Olympic gold medallist.