… Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club, Japan 

World No. 2 Rory McIlroy has removed any doubt in confirming he will represent Ireland in the 2020 Olympics.

The news is a huge boost for the Ireland Olympic Team and comes after McIlroy had indicated earlier this year he would be ‘likely’ to play in the Japan Olympics after joining so many other leading golfers in boycotting the 2016 Rio Olympics for fear of catching the Zika virus.

“I’m excited to play the Olympics and call myself an Olympian,” confirmed McIlroy in speaking with the Golf Channel ahead of this week’s ZoZo Championship in Japan.

“Coming to such a golf-crazy country like Japan helps. It’s a really good atmosphere and just being here this week and seeing the enthusiasm of the fans makes me look forward to coming back next year and playing the Olympics.”

If the Olympics were held this week the Ireland team would be McIlroy and Shane Lowry though qualifying does not conclude to mid-July and with Lowry on record as stating his great desire to walk out behind the Ireland flag in Toyko.

Now McIlroy is clearly also excited in being a member of the Ireland Olympic Team.

“I’ve had to deal with things in regard to the Olympics that others haven’t had to and that brings questions and difficulties,” he said. “But at the end of the day I thought I can’t let that stuff ruin my experience of going to the Olympics and playing.”

McIlroy got a small taste what it will be like competing in an arena such as the Olympics when he attended last weekends World Cup Rugby encounter in Japan.

And while the result againt the mighty All Blacks was not what McIlroy or Ireland sought, the four-time major winner enjoyed the experience.

“Yeah, not a great result for Ireland, obviously, but yeah, I was just so impressed with the All Blacks,” he said.

“I’d never watched New Zealand play live before, so to see the haka, to see how they played, they were just so impressive. So as much as it wasn’t the right result for me and for Ireland, I just, I had to sit back and just be in awe and so
impressed with New Zealand and how they play rugby and how good they were.

“But it was a great experience. The stadium in Tokyo in a great atmosphere and I was glad that I went.”