Rory McIlroy is the world’s No. 1 golfer, he won his second career major in August, and he’s strolled to victory at three of the last four tournaments; so sure, why not try to ruin it all by asking a controversial question?
Being from Northern Ireland gives McIlroy the option of playing for either the Irish or British team when golf returns to the Olympics in 2016. When asked which flag he’d play under the 23-year-old admitted to the Guardian that he’s always felt more British and felt more connected to the UK than to Ireland.
“Whatever I do, I know my decision is going to upset some people,” the PGA Champ added. “But I just hope the vast majority will understand.”
Rory will likely be a medal favorite in Rio if he stays on or near his current clip, but 2016 is a full four years away and there’s no reason to make a choice now, a point Rory acknowledged on Twitter Monday: “I certainly won’t be making any decisions with regards to participating any time soon.”
So if you’re scoring at home, Rory correctly avoided answering the question twice, and still probably offended a couple million people. The good news is that he’ll only be asked this question a few hundred more times from now until he declares an allegiance. The bad news: his answer will never be “America.”
