Disappointing McIlroy decision must be respected, not abused

It was a big blow to both the Irish team and the Olympic Golf movement to see one of its brightest stars Rory McIlroy pull out of the Olympic Games, citing Zika virus concerns. It did not take long for the 27-year-old to be slated on social media for the decision, with many armchair commenters more than happy to rekindle old begrudges over the McIlroy’s political and national affiliation.

This is despite the fact that firstly Rory did declare for Ireland in 2014, and secondly, clearly cares about golf on this island. McIlroy has ensured that our national Open has a strong future and was almost in tears when he won the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open last month to win over €600,000 for Irish charities. The Northern Irishman is also hardly the only top golfer to miss the Games, or indeed athlete for Zika concerns. For Ireland, every cloud has a silver lining. The withdrawal of G-Mac and Rory means that Padraig Harrington is set to represent Ireland, a satisfying reward for someone who worked so hard to get golf in the Olympics in 2009.