13 Jul 2016 20:14:22
Rory McElroy obviously knows there's a stink in world golf now you have fellow British golfers Faldo and Montgomery saying it's regrettable . Something smells fishy ðŸ .
13 Jul 2016 22:06:14
I heard dodgy geezers hang out at golf courses, Sanogo :-)
13 Jul 2016 22:06:52
Just the way they play, you can tell they're criminals :-)
13 Jul 2016 22:08:04
All driving drug dealers cars, mercs and that
Carrying big gun bags on wheels
No where is safe these days!
13 Jul 2016 23:07:45
Lol something very funny indeed.
13 Jul 2016 23:59:28
He won't lose any sleep over what those two say, but the real reason is not Zika, or a lack of respect for the Olympics. Rory has a huge sponsorship deal with Nike, and they rejected an approach from Pat Hickey to sponsor the Irish Olympic team, as they felt (rightly) that he was about to declare for Ireland. Hickey then went to New Balance and struck a deal for them to sponsor the Irish team.
Nike didn't really expect McIlroy to declare for Ireland as he had already intimated that he might declare for Britain. But in the end he declared for Ireland and suddenly Nike were faced with the possibility that he could be on the podium wearing New Balance gear.
In the end the diplomatic (some might say cynical) thing to do was to withdraw from the Olympics under the pretence of a concern about Zika despite Rory having said previously that he wasn't terribly worried about it.
In the last few days he has gone up in my estimation. The real politique of Northern Ireland culture can be very nuanced and confusing even for people who grew up on this island. Religion is very defining in terms of how you are identified, regardless of how you identify yourself.
Barry McGuigan is a good example of someone who tried to please everyone and ended up picking sides anyway. He is from Ulster, but he is not from Northern Ireland. Some of you may find that confusing but it is true. He is seen by some people as a man who effectively defected to the other side.
Rory McIlroy doesn't seem to want to discuss his religious or ideological beliefs publicly. He really only wants to talk about golf. He doesn't want to upset anyone who thinks he identifies with being Irish or British, as he knows no matter what he does in respect of Olympic representation he will be seen to take sides.
In the end Nike made the decision to withdraw from the Olympics an easy one for him.
14 Jul 2016 10:38:18
If McIllroy didn’t identify himself as Irish why did he represent Ireland in all the underage competitions growing up? I do believe the decision was made by Nike but don’t see how he gets respect for it! To me he is a little brat that when asked a hard question turns on everything, he stated he wouldn’t watch Golf in the Olympics as he would watch 'something that mattered', that's his game he is slating there and friends that are playing in it. The guy is a douche whether he's Irish, English or whatever!
14 Jul 2016 11:22:27
You're right Garbo he played through all the underage competitions for Ireland, and it came as a surprise when he seemed to seriously consider representing Britain in the Olympics before he finally chose Ireland.
He never really wanted to compete in the Olympics, but was under pressure from different interests such as the golfing establishment and sponsors amongst others. Opting to withdraw was always going to bring a heap of criticism on him.
I didn't say that McIlroy didn’t identify himself as Irish though, so I'm not sure where you got that from. He is painfully aware given where he comes from that no matter which country he represents he will probably offend someone, and I think he is hugely relieved not to be going to Rio.
{Ed001's Note - I think Garbo is overestimating the Olympics in term of golf. It is a sideshow there and golfers do not really value the competition. It does not have prestige like the Masters or similar. Same in tennis, where it is way behind big comps, as it entered late and with full time professionals who make huge money in other events. While the winner will get a bit of a boost, it is not held in the same light as athletics etc at the games, so it does not bring that value, due to the Olympics being the pinnacle for athletics. It is like football, because of the insistence on amateurs for so long, the competition was marginalised by the professional game. Now it is a minor competition in any sense other than personal pride.}
15 Jul 2016 00:40:01
Your spot on there ed, agree with that. mclroy said he wouldn't even watch it, anyway is golf really an Olympic sport.
{Ed001's Note - exactly, it is a late addition purely to dry and bring in sponsors to the games. It is not in keeping with the spirit of the Olympics, it is all about making money.}