EXCLUSIVE: Team GB in Rio Rory McIlroy says he owes a lot to Irish golf but feels more British

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UPDATED:

22:51 GMT, 9 September 2012

Ever since it was announced that golf would be part of the next Olympics in Rio it has been the one question Rory McIlroy has refused to answer: will he represent Britain or Ireland

Now, in a wide-ranging interview with Sportsmail, the 23-year-old, whose Northern Irish roots make him eligible for both, has spoken candidly about his dilemma and perhaps given an indication that, when the sport is re-introduced under the Olympic flame in four years, he will play under the colours of Team GB.

‘What makes it such an awful position to be in is I have grown up my whole life playing for Ireland under the Golfing Union of Ireland umbrella,’ he said. ‘But the fact is, I’ve always felt more British than Irish.

Double trouble: Rory McIlroy with the JK Wadley Trophy and the BMW Championship Trophy

Dilemma: McIlroy says he feels more British than Irish

‘Maybe it was the way I was brought up, I don’t know, but I have always felt more of a connection with the UK than with Ireland. And so I have to weigh that up against the fact that I’ve always played for Ireland and so it is tough. Whatever I do, I know my decision is going to upset some people but I just hope the vast majority will understand.’

This is the first time McIlroy has unequivocally declared an affinity for the UK over Ireland and it will certainly go down like a lead balloon in some quarters.

But all reasonable people will surely recognise the loyalty he has shown to Irish golf over the years and that he has been placed in the invidious position of having to choose through no fault of his own.

McIlroy watched the London Olympics from his rented home at Kiawah Island in South Carolina and, suitably inspired, went out and pummelled the best players in his sport to win the US PGA Championship by a record eight strokes and make his own contribution to this summer to remember.

Since then he has won again in Boston to strengthen his position as world No 1 and it seems safe to pronounce that a period in the game that will become known as the Rory era is now excitingly under way.

This time of year has not always been good to McIlroy. Last year he was wrestling with the dilemma of whether to switch management companies. Two years ago he felt homesick and ended up taking a one-year leave of absence as a member of the US Tour.

Grown: McIlroy says he is more sensible with his winnings now

Now his assurance at where he stands and comfort at what he has achieved is obvious and reflected in his decision to declare publicly his allegiance to Britain. His game and his personality have matured to the point where he is at peace with himself and his place in his sport.

Ask him whether he has treated himself to anything now he’s picking up million dollar cheques seemingly every other week and he comes out with the revelation that he doesn’t even own a car, much less a luxury motor.

‘A couple of years ago I would definitely have gone out on a spree after two great wins but you see something and then two months later you see something else, and the appeal of that quickly fades,’ he said.

McIlroy was relaxed as he walked the fairways in practice for the BMW Championship last week. His caddie, JP Fitzgerald, dug into his golf bag at the fourth and fished out a new ball. ‘There you go,’ said McIlroy, quick as a flash. ‘A new ball. That’s my treat to myself.’

The easy manner which earned him so many admirers when he started out on tour has survived the forensic examination of his activities over a difficult May and June. One of his golf partners in Wednesday’s pro-am asked him about his travels and came out with an eye-opening line: ‘Ever played at Kiawah’

Imagine one or two of the prima donnas on tour being asked that after creating history at the place so recently Rory just had a broad smile on his face as he replied: ‘Yeah. Funnily enough, I played it a couple of weeks ago.’

Other half: McIlroy with girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki

Wise beyond his years in so many ways, it’s refreshing to find that, when it comes to matters of the heart, he acts his age. After his win in Boston, watched by his girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki, he tweeted that she was his ‘lucky charm’ and that he wished she could be at tournaments more often.

There are no wedding plans — ‘Give us a while yet on that one,’ he replied, smiling — but, 15 months on from when they met, it is obvious this is much more than a celebrity infatuation.

Wozniacki’s dedication to tennis has done much to strengthen McIIroy’s own diligence. Now he is hoping to inspire her following a poor year that has seen the Dane plummet from the world No 1 spot.

‘I’ve seen it myself, it’s a very hard thing to stay at No 1 and Caroline was No 1 for two years, with all the expectations that raises,’ said McIlroy. ‘But she has got a lot of good people working around her and she’s the hardest working person I know, so I don’t think there’s any question that she will be back.’

Wozniacki will be in Tokyo during the Ryder Cup and so will miss the biennial parade of the spouses and girlfriends that has bizarrely become part of the occasion. ‘You never know, she might be lucky enough to experience it all at wild and wet Gleneagles in 2014,’ he said, mischievously.

Cheered up: McIlroy is thrilled with how things are going

Even on a practice day, young and old are lining the route from each green to the following tee, clutching replica flags and memorabilia for him to autograph. McIlroy stops and signs as many as he can before running to each tee to catch up with his playing partners.

He wasn’t quite this cheerful two years ago. ‘Back then I lay 35th or something in the FedEx Cup and, quite frankly, I didn’t care whether I made it through to the Tour Championship or not, which wasn’t the best attitude to have,’ he said.

‘I just wanted to get home, but life’s changed a lot since then. In a way this is my home now. This is my sixth week in a row here, I’ll spend next week in New York, chilling, and then I’ve got two more weeks finishing up with the Ryder Cup. I couldn’t be happier with the way things are going.’

McIlroy got into a spot of bother a few years ago after referring to the Ryder Cup as an exhibition but, when you have grown up with Tiger Woods’s major achievements as your focus, it was, in many respects, an understandable comment. Now he has adopted surely the right stance for someone in his position.

‘Obviously the majors are the ultimate thing for me, it is how you measure yourself against the greats of the past, but the Ryder Cup two years ago certainly opened my eyes,’ he said.

Responsibility: McIlroy will speak up during the Ryder Cup if he has any thoughts

‘What makes it such an amazing week is that everyone from the players to the spectators are all part of it, they all have a role to play in whether you win or lose.

‘This will be my first one in the States, so it is going to be unusual having the majority of the crowd rooting against me. That will be different. How do I see my role in the team room It’s a little tricky. Two years ago, of course, I was just a rookie and listened to everybody. In a way I am still a rookie. I’m only 23 and I’ll be surrounded by great players who have played in a lot more Ryder Cups than myself.

‘But the rankings say I am the best player at the moment and so that brings a responsibility. I still don’t see myself as a leader but I will definitely speak up a lot more if I feel there’s something I can offer.’

Come the Friday morning foursomes, McIlroy will surely resume his partnership with his great friend Graeme McDowell.

‘We’re lucky in that we’ve got some obvious partnerships in the team and G-Mac and myself is certainly one of those,’ he said. ‘We’ve got a particularly good foursomes record but we will see what the captain wants to do. I’m more than happy to play with anyone he tells me. I just want to play.’

Imagine: Watching McIlroy go up against Tiger Woods would be interesting

McIlroy did throw up one intriguing potential fourball partner in Sergio Garcia. That would be quite something, wouldn’t it The singles match everyone would like to see, of course, is Rory versus Tiger, although the way the pair are going these days they might talk each other to death.

You can see the delight in McIlroy’s face that the man he looked up to growing up has become a friend. You can also see why Woods has put aside his previous animosity to anyone perceived as a rival to accommodate McIlroy. It is all about Rory’s respectfulness, not only towards Tiger but the game itself.

‘He’s got everything a golfer could want but on top of that he is just a really nice kid,’ said Woods. ‘He’s not going away, that is for sure, and that’s great for the game. It has a great future in his hands.’

What does McIlroy think about Woods reaching $100million in earnings ‘That’s something, isn’t it’ he said. ‘I think I’ve just gone through $20m and I thought that was an incredible sum. But he’s largely responsible for prize funds reaching this amazing level, and nobody’s given it to him in the form of a lucrative contract. He’s earned every penny of it through what he has achieved on the course.’

Big future: We are entering McIlroy's time

And so the year is reaching the evening shadows with the No 1 target of a second major win safely tucked away and the No 2 of reaching the game’s summit also ticked. Now he has the chance to emulate Luke Donald’s achievement last year and finish as the top money earner on both sides of the Atlantic.

‘I certainly won’t be playing in any Fall Series events in America, so it can’t be that big a priority for me, I guess,’ he said, smiling. ‘But winning the FedEx Cup and the Race to Dubai That’s certainly a double that has got my interest.’

This summer we have learned, like Woods before him, McIlroy has the strength of mind to cope with outside distractions and the inevitable lows in confidence. When you add that to the unrivalled gifts with which he was bequeathed, it leaves us in a very exciting place indeed.

Welcome to Rory’s era, then. What a time it promises to be.