McIlroy has been torn between either representing Great Britain given he was born in Northern Ireland or Ireland, given he played all his amateur golf under the auspicious of the Dublin-based Golfing Union of Ireland.

And given also the controversy surrounding his impending choice the former World No. 1 was even considering not competing in the Olympics at all.

However McIlroy, who has twice before represented Ireland in the World Cup of Golf, has now made the decision ahead of next month’s International Golf Federation meeting on July 14th at Hoylake where it is set to announce the eligibility criteria for the 2016 and 2020 Olympics.

Roruy McIlroy timely decks himself out in emerald green to announce he will represent Ireland in 2016 Olympics. (Photo – Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)

“Actually, I’ve been thinking about it a lot.  I don’t know whether it’s been because the World Cup has been in Brazil and I’ve been thinking a couple of years down the line,” said McIlroy wearing an emerald coloured shirt.

“I have also thought about all the times that I played as an amateur for Ireland and as a boy and everything so for me it’s the right decision to play for Ireland, so I’m going to play for Ireland in 2016.

“I feel like it’s the right decision for me.   There’s no point in delaying it and letting it linger any longer.  And as I said, watching the World Cup in Brazil, thinking about Brazil in a couple of years’ time, it just sort of got me thinking, maybe I should just go ahead and get it out of the way, and really look forward now to the Olympics in a couple years’ time.

“It’s also more just because now that I’m playing golf for money and I’m a professional, I’m supposed to have this choice or this decision to make where, you know, if you look at the rugby players, you look at cricketers or hockey players, their sports are viewed ‑‑ they view Ireland as one, the same as we do in golf.

“So I don’t think there’s any point to change that or any point to go against that just because it’s a different event or it’s the Olympics.

“I was always very proud to put on the Irish uniform and play as an amateur and as a boy, and I would be very proud to do it again.”

But if McIlroy does qualify and he and his team-mate proceed to win an Olympic medal he says the achievement would not rate as high as winning either of the four Major Championships.

“Winning an Olympic medal is still is not as big as a major championship but it’s up there,” he said.

“The Majors in our sport are the biggest and best prizes in the game.  But as hopefully golf grows in the Olympics and becomes say bigger in four or five Games down the line then it might become bigger.

“It’s a tough one because you never know how it’s going to evolve and how it’s going to, but for me, the four major championships are the biggest prizes in our game, and maybe one day the Olympics will be able to get up to that level now.

“With the first one now, it’s not quite up there, but it would still be a huge achievement to win a medal.”

The R & A, and one half of golf’s ruling body, had threatened to take the matter out of McIlroy’s hands.

And with Peter Dawson, CEO of the R&A, saying in April:  “I think because Rory’s history of playing for Ireland at amateur level and, I think at World Cup level, that there may be a regulation within the Olympic rules that would require him to stay with that.

“It’s quite ambiguous really but there is a rule that a player who has represented one nation at a previous world championships from certain countries, that carries with you.”

Dawson added: “Is the golf World Cup a world championship? Golf isn’t structured the same way as other sports but I would very much like to take this burden of choice away from the player if we can possibly do it because it’s not fair to him. I think he has made it pretty clear in one of two pronouncements that he’s worried about it and the last thing we want is players worrying about this.”