Rory McIlroy yet to select Olympic nationality

Rory McIlroy has put talk of who he would represent at the Rio Olympics on hold as he looks to continue his stunning run of form.

The two-time major winner lifted the BMW Championship in Carmel on Sunday – his second successive PGA title – but woke up to some stories about a supposed dispute over who he would turn out for when golf gains Olympic status in 2016.

Quotes attributed to the County Down-born 23-year-old said he felt “more British than Irish”, suggesting he would look to be a part of the all-conquering Team GB in Brazil. But McIlroy took to his official Twitter feed to deliver a statement which said he had made no such decisions and was purely concentrating on golf.

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“I am in an extremely sensitive and difficult position and I conveyed as much in a recent newspaper interview,” he wrote.

“I am a proud product of Irish golf and the Golfing Union of Ireland. I am also a proud Ulsterman who grew up in Northern Ireland which is part of the United Kingdom. That is my background and always will be. I receive great support from both Irish and British fans alike and it is greatly appreciated.”

Golf will be making its Games debut in Rio and although still some time away, a number of players have already been asked for their thoughts on it. But with a Ryder Cup less than three weeks away, McIlroy is not entertaining talk of it, or of who he will be playing for when the time comes. “I wish to clarify I have absolutely not made a decision regarding my participation on the next Olympics,” he added.

“On a personal level, playing in the Olympics would be a huge honour. However, the Games in Rio are four years away and I certainly won’t be making any decisions with regard to participation any time soon.

“My focus right now is on being the best player I can be, trying to win major championships and contributing to what will hopefully be a victorious Ryder Cup side.”

After three wins in his last four starts in America, McIlroy is entitled to his little “chill out” time in New York this week. Then it will be back to business next week at East Lake, Atlanta, where the 23-year-old Northern Irishman has an opportunity to land a jackpot worth over £7.15million. Golf’s undisputed world No 1 has banked more than £2.7million in the past month – it works out at over £2,500 for each shot he has hit – but in money terms the big prize still lies ahead. Having captured the second and third legs of the FedEx Cup play-offs, McIlroy will head into the 30-man Tour Championship as firm favourite for the £6.25million bonus that goes to the winner of the four-tournament series. And adding the event itself would earn him an additional £900,000 on the eve of the Ryder Cup in Chicago.

McIlroy now has six victories in the United States to his name. Four have come this season, the latest a two-stroke triumph over cup team-mate Lee Westwood and Phil Mickelson at the BMW.

This week will mostly be about recharging his batteries, but he has also planned a training session with the New York Knicks basketball team.

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He said: “Some suggested that I could have taken a week off and still could have been in the top five in the FedEx Cup standings going into Atlanta. But I felt like I was playing really well and didn’t want to stop.”