Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MCILROY: I’LL REPRESENT IRELAND AT TOKYO 2020
Rory: I’m going for glory at the 2020 Olympics with Ireland KEAR HAS TWITTER BUZZING IN SHORTS
RORY MCILROY has announced he will play for Ireland in the Tokyo Olympics – four years after claiming he would rather watch the diving than the golf in Rio.
The four-time Major winner said he would play for Ireland in 2016 but pulled out, citing the Zika virus. Justin Rose (below) won the gold medal.
At The Open in Royal Troon that year he said:
“I’ll probably watch the Olympics, but I’m not sure golf will be one of the events I watch. I’ll probably watch events like track and field, swimming, diving – the stuff that matters.”
Mcilroy, who is also eligible to play for Great
Britain and
Northern
Ireland, later admitted he resented the Games for forcing him to make a choice between the two nations.
But after the success of golf in Rio – and with Tiger Woods now keen to tee up in his first Olympics – Mcilroy has made a complete U-turn. Speaking before the US PGA at Bethpage Black, he said: “Things can change like they always can but right now in my head, I will go to Tokyo. The more I have thought about it, the more I have had time to weigh up the decision-making process.
“It is a sensitive landscape I have got to try to walk here. In the part of the world I am from, one decision is going to make some happy and it is going to disappoint others. That is just the way it is. I am looking forward to it. It will be a new experience. It will be cool to be a part of it.”
Mcilroy teaming up again with his former national amateur coach Neil Manchip and his friend Shane Lowry had also been part of his decision.
And the world No.4 said: “As a young boy it was my dream to play for Ireland. I was proud to put on that shirt or blazer.”
But Mcilroy, 30, added: “I haven’t grown up dreaming of winning an Olympic medal. I dreamed of Claret Jugs, I dreamed of Green Jackets, I dreamed of US Open trophies.
“But it is on the radar now and I will try my heart out.’’ Ryder Cup
captain Padraig Harrington has told his
European stars they will have to play in next year’s
BMW PGA to win a wildcard for Whistling Straits.
He will not name his three picks until after the final qualifying event at Wentworth in September 2020.
He said: “I want to make sure that every player who’s in my team will have to show commitment to wanting to be in the team.” DYLAN HARTLEY is fit to return to action for Northampton on Saturday after a five-month absence.
But Saints may overlook him for the game that they are billing as a Premiership quarter-final.
The 33-year-old (above) has not played since December 21 because of a knee injury and Saints director of rugby Chris
Boyd is reluctant to throw him in at Exeter in a match that will decide whether they make the play-offs.
Boyd said: “We now have four out of five hookers competing for a couple of positions. Dylan is in contention, but I’m not going to pick him just because I think I need to.” WHEN John Kear sat and reviewed Bradford’s Challenge Cup win over Leeds on Saturday night, he had no idea he was becoming a Twitter star.
Wife Dawn posted a snap of the 64-year-old coach (above) in his shorts taking notes on the Bulls’ win.
The picture quickly racked up over 1,000 likes and comments.
Kear laughed: “Dawn wanted to go out for an Italian because I’d been pretty busy during the day.
“I don’t think she was best pleased when she saw me scrawling in my book.
“But I was working for the BBC on Sunday and had to review the game.”