McIlroy Declares for Britain?

by Gordy Mon 10 Sep 2012, 6:00 pm

First topic message reminder :

Rory McIlroy has declared "I’ve always felt more British than Irish", "Maybe it is 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". This seems like a pretty strong indication to me that McIlroy will represent Team GB at the Olympics in 4 years. I think its a smart move to declare his allegiance early and in good time rather than letting the media make a storm in a tea cup about the whole issue in 4 years time close to the games.

by Diggers Fri 14 Sep 2012, 10:11 am

Nobody thought tennis would take off at the Olympics and its one of the big sports now, no reason whatsoever why golf wont be the same. Bar injury Id say its a nailed on certaintly Coco will be there, whatever colour short he's wearing.

by pedro Fri 14 Sep 2012, 10:44 am

If Wozzy still plays in 4 years, I'm sure she'll be there. And if Coco is still with her, so will he - one way or the other.

by super_realist Fri 14 Sep 2012, 10:50 am

I think tennis might not enjoy the same limelight in Rio as it did in London, the spiritual home of the game. They've not had a decent player since kuerten and golfers are even thinner (excuse the shane Lowry pun) on the ground there.

by Diggers Fri 14 Sep 2012, 10:58 am

Not sure whether the home standard of player matters that much SR. The venues will be packed anyway, people all over the world like to go and watch sporting superstars and tennis and golf will provide those in Rio. Plus the global TV audience will be huge again.

by super_realist Fri 14 Sep 2012, 11:06 am

I hope so diggers. I was always anti tennis in the Olympics but was glued this time. Not sure golf is dynamic enough though, bit too slow and full of fat millionaires.

Wonder if we've seen the Olympics reach a zenith though, especially in a country like Brazil. Mind you each subsequent Olympics usually improves on the last so it will probably be great unless you are poor and living on rios streets, in which case you'll probably be shot.

What's wrong with me, I've got a sunny disposition today.

by Diggers Fri 14 Sep 2012, 11:10 am

Im sure it will be a good Games. I think London showed me that not only is it good to host a games, but if you are a visitor its a great time to go and see a country as everyone is in such a great mood. Id love to go to Rio, South America is a gaping hole in my travelling CV, cant see it though as my kids will be too young really. Would love to see Tokyo get 2020 and go out to that, one place Id not want it to go is one of the Arab states.

by super_realist Fri 14 Sep 2012, 11:12 am

Certainly not if you dare to besmirch the prophet.

by Diggers Fri 14 Sep 2012, 11:16 am

Yep, they are certainly lacking a bit of a sense of humour when it comes to a bit of Allah bashing. Salam aleikum.

by super_realist Fri 14 Sep 2012, 11:38 am

Bit like every religion Diggers, always love bashing others but woebetide you if you dare to question a Jew, Christian, Muslim over their hysterical mythical and unproven beliefs etc.

Psychos, the lot of them. Only reason they aren't in mental hospitals is we don't have the room to house them all.

by GunsGerms Fri 14 Sep 2012, 11:47 am

super_realist wrote:
SecretFly wrote:
navyblueshorts wrote:I would have thought 'groundless' is pretty pertinent. Maybe a bit more education and learning to think for oneself would be time better spent than listening to preachers, of all ilks, talking cr@p and stirring up prejudices.

'Groundless' is a scientific term..meaning lack of evidence/lack of a basis in fact, navy. Religious belief doesn't require evidence...it's belief. A child believes in ghosts - ghosts are groundless in scientific terms...the child still believes in ghosts.

Believing you are an onion doesn't require any evidence either but it will still get the men in white coats round.

Religion is the acceptable face of insanity.
Look at this crackpot golfer thanking god for their victory. Truly mad, if they said they'd like to thank the devil or bogeyman for their victory they'd be rightly branded nuts, but because its 'god' its ok.

Which boat did all these johnny come lately Irish folk who have suddenly appeared on the golf pages sail up the liffy on anyway.

I'm not religious but believe it or not some psychologists believe there is a direct correlation between sports persons that choke in major tournaments and being athiest or non religious. The theory goes that deeply religious people in moments of high stress and pressure are better able to cope with the pressure as they are accustomed to praying and believing that a greater power will help them across the line which in turn relieves the pressure or something like that.

Perhaps this is why footballers bless themselves and point to the sky or SA rugby players huddle for prayers or any number of champions thank god in their victory speech.

I am not interested in religion but it does seem to give some people the strict dicipline required to make it to the top.

by super_realist Fri 14 Sep 2012, 11:58 am

Interesting theory and probably carries some weight, however when a bible thumper misses the cut or stinks the place out its amazing how any mention of religion and faith disappears.
How very convenient.

I think with people latching more onto psychology we'll see less and less emphasis placed on hokey religions as a crutch for the weak willed .

by McLaren Fri 14 Sep 2012, 12:14 pm

"I think with people latching more onto psychology we'll see less and less emphasis placed on hokey religions as a crutch for the weak willed ."

Super it seems only a matter of time before you became a member of the church of scientology.

by super_realist Fri 14 Sep 2012, 12:27 pm

Wondered how long it would take you Mac.
Not sure how you came to that conclusion anyway.
However it has to be said. I don't really see a distinction between a religion developed for profit to prey on the gullible and suggestible than the more established ones which were designed to indoctrinate, keep the population in line and spread fear amongst equally naive and suggestible people. Two cheeks of the same backside as far as I can see.

The only useful thing I can see about religion is certain values of being a decent person (although surely a normal person is like that anyway), other than that it wouldn't be a bad thing if religion as an organised entity was wiped out and people got on with their lives.

You do meet some funny people though with top educations and a belief in the bible as a literal piece of work. I've known geologists believe (despite all the evidence to the contrary) in god and that the earth is barely 10k old.

As our colonial cousins might say "Go figure"

by McLaren Fri 14 Sep 2012, 12:37 pm

"Not sure how you came to that conclusion anyway."

You seem to like the same self helpy, positive thinking, psycho nonsense that they do.

Did you not admit to reading Bob Rotella’s - himself a high ranking member of the church of scientology – books?. His work is basically scientology applied to sports.

by Skerries Fri 14 Sep 2012, 12:38 pm

hend085 wrote:im pretty sure they will both have entries to the golf

OK, it's possible but, realistically, the top players are unlikely to be interested.

1. Only 2 players from each country will be allowed to compete so they're not exactly getting to compete against the best in the world. "So what" if you win?

2. It will happen between the Open and the PGA which are normally 3 weeks apart. It is rumoured that it will happen the week after the Open. So, those targetting the majors will be unlikely to want to jet off to South America to compete against a mediocre field at that point in the season.

If it has to be in the Olympics then, to avoid the farce it is heading for, I would suggest it would be better if they limited it to amateurs.

I'd lay a lot of money on Rory not being there.

by super_realist Fri 14 Sep 2012, 12:40 pm

McLaren wrote:
"Not sure how you came to that conclusion anyway."

You seem to like the same self helpy, positive thinking, psycho nonsense that they do.

Did you not admit to reading Bob Rotella’s - himself a high ranking member of the church of scientology – books?. His work is basically scientology applied to sports.

Mac, you really do talk cobblers. Haven't you got toilets to clean?

by Skerries Fri 14 Sep 2012, 12:48 pm

McLaren wrote:
Did you not admit to reading Bob Rotella’s - himself a high ranking member of the church of scientology – books?. His work is basically scientology applied to sports.

Wow, explain.

I've read his golf books and saw nothing 'strange'. What did I miss?

by super_realist Fri 14 Sep 2012, 12:50 pm

He's just being a bell end as usual Skerries, don't listen to him.

by McLaren Fri 14 Sep 2012, 12:51 pm

Skerries

Not much to explain really. If you don’t mind reading and employing the teachings of scientology then Bob Rottela is the man for you.

by super_realist Fri 14 Sep 2012, 12:53 pm

Evidence Mac?

Oh right, there is none. Wum.

by Skerries Fri 14 Sep 2012, 12:54 pm

McLaren wrote:Skerries

Not much to explain really. If you don’t mind reading and employing the teachings of scientology then Bob Rottela is the man for you.

by Sin é Fri 14 Sep 2012, 12:58 pm

super_realist wrote:Interesting theory and probably carries some weight, however when a bible thumper misses the cut or stinks the place out its amazing how any mention of religion and faith disappears.
How very convenient.

I think with people latching more onto psychology we'll see less and less emphasis placed on hokey religions as a crutch for the weak willed .

If there was no such thing as religion/faith (no Adam and Eve in the garden/bible) how would you decide what is right and wrong?

Whether you have no time for religion/faith, you have derived your morality from the bible.

by Sin é Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:02 pm

Both views:

Is Rory right to declare now he feels "more British then Irish"

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

With four years until Rio he didn’t have to make the call
No says Charlie Mulqueen

Rory McIlroy certainly got it right when acknowledging his words would "upset a lot of people".

I suspect, however, that he was well off the mark when hoping that "the vast majority will understand".

If and when he opts to represent Britain in the Olympic Games in 2016, among those most disappointed will be the many people in the Golfing Union of Ireland who assisted him throughout his amateur career and helped imbue in him the qualities on and off the golf course that have made him one of the most popular and likeable players in the game.

It will also hurt his caddie, J P Fitzgerald, and Conor Ridge and Colin Morrissey and the other members of his management company, Horizon Sport, all from the southern end of the country, not to mention his former colleagues from a succession of Irish amateur teams and the many thousands who support and applaud him every time he tees up his golf ball.

They fully appreciate Rory must some day make one of the most difficult decisions of his life. And they should also understand he has been placed in this dilemma through no fault of his own — like many other sportsmen and women in our divided island over the years. It’s just that most manage to keep their views on the issue as private as they possibly can.

By and large, he has demonstrated commendable wisdom and intelligence in dealing with the media and general public since first hitting the headlines when only just into his teens. And that’s what makes some of his comments since the announcement in 2009 that golf was to be restored as an Olympic sport more than a little regrettable.

He was much too quickly out of the blocks when declaring: "I’d probably play for Britain because I have a British passport."

There have been similar comments from time to time that have made for more dramatic headlines — if not quite as spectacular as the one greeting his remark at the weekend that: "I’ve always felt more British than Irish."

It’s a pity religion has been brought into the equation, with many expecting McIlroy to declare for Ireland simply because he comes from a Catholic family and had a great-uncle shot dead by loyalist paramilitaries in 1972.

Interestingly, however, Graeme McDowell’s father is Protestant and his mother Catholic and he showed how to handle the situation when neatly sidestepping the Olympic question at last month’s US PGA Championship.

"I’ll play for whoever takes me, I just want to be an Olympian," he stated. Rory, take note.

It is disappointing Rory should now fall for a clearly loaded question referring to an event that won’t take place for another four years. Who knows what his status will be in the game in 2016? A little over a decade ago, David Duval was, like Rory at present, golf’s number one player. Today, you need to go down all the way to 854th to find his name.

Nobody, least of all this writer who has grown to know, like and admire Rory McIlroy since the days when he was a three-time Irish Examiner Junior Sports Star of the Year, wants or expects to see a similar fate befall such a rare talent.
I just wish though, that he would keep his thoughts on this emotive subject close to his chest until he needs to make a decision one way or the other.

After all, with so many great things looming over the next few weeks, he has enough to keep him occupied.

Forget flags: All that matters is Rory is a player par excellence
Yes says Simon Lewis

Rory McIlroy should be applauded for putting his head above the parapet and indicating he will opt to represent Great Britain and Northern Ireland rather than Ireland at the 2016 Olympics.

Ever since golf, along with rugby sevens, successfully bid in 2009 to be included on the International Olympic Committee’s roster of sports for the Rio 2016 Games, the issue of where the Holywood youngster’s allegiances lay has been the elephant in the room, and it is easy to see why.

It is an invidious choice to impose on any potential Olympian from Northern Ireland, whatever sport they play, and when the IOC voted golf into its family three years ago, it became McIlroy’s problem too.

His feelings on the matter were sign-posted from the start when, aged 20, and in the wake of the August 2009 IOC vote, he said: "I’d probably play for Great Britain. I have a British passport. It’s a bit of an awkward question still."
That landed McIlroy in hot water and it was a valuable lesson for the young sportsman from the Belfast suburbs to learn. By last year, his response to the question had evolved into a more diplomatic one.

"Basically, if I’m going to be honest like I usually am, whatever I say it’s going to upset someone. So I may as well say ‘I don’t know’ and wait until four or five years’ time when I have to make a decision."

This weekend, McIlroy, 23, is quoted describing the "awful position to be in".

"But the fact is, I’ve always felt more British than Irish... I just hope the vast majority will understand."

It is still only an indication, of course, and he is under no obligation to make a firm commitment to either country for another four years.

Yet McIlroy, on top of the golfing world after winning three of his last four events including a second career major at the PGA last month, has revealed his current thinking and shown that when it comes to difficult issues, it is often our heart that takes the casting vote when the riot of ideas in our mind can’t resolve them. There should be no comeback for that.

Ireland’s golfing community will naturally be disappointed if McIlroy marches into the Olympic Stadium in Rio in a GB uniform but they will understand. He has spent too much time already in his young life trying not to upset anyone on this matter, avoiding both the Tricolour and the Union Flag.

Sure, those ties with the GUI are long ones and he has represented golf’s all-Ireland governing body with the pride Ulster men do showing just as much commitment as their brethren from Munster, Leinster and Connacht.

But that, alas, is the difference here. The GUI’s flag is not a Tricolour but instead, like rugby’s IRFU, represents all four provinces on the island of Ireland. If only it were able to fly over an Olympic golf course.

Will McIlroy’s words stop Irish golf fans cheering him on every time he tees it up? Hardly.

Are we discounting the two majors he has won for the island of Ireland? We will not. They were rightly celebrated in both Britain and Ireland and any future success, even a gold medal draped in red, white and blue, should also be considered a victory for Irish golf.

If this summer’s Olympics and Paralympics reminded us of anything it is that the crest on the uniform does not matter a jot. Sporting excellence should be celebrated, whatever the shape, size, colour or allegiance of the athlete. McIlroy’s excellence is unquestionable. He deserves our appreciation, whatever flag he plays under.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/golf/is-rory-right-to-declare-now-he-feels-more-british-then-irish-207170.html

by super_realist Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:04 pm

Ha ha. What a load of cobblers. So everyone who was brought up in a society that didn't have Adam and Eve and the bible has no sense of morality. i'm sure the Arab's would love to hear that.

You religious nut jobs are priceless.

are you saying people weren't decent and moral people 2000 years ago before Christianity?

Laugh

Well done, you've just made the most stupid post ever on this golf forum.

by djlovesyou Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:05 pm

Sin é wrote:

If there was no such thing as religion/faith (no Adam and Eve in the garden/bible) how would you decide what is right and wrong?

Whether you have no time for religion/faith, you have derived your morality from the bible.

Surely there are a lot of cultures in the world who had zero access to the bible and they managed to develop level of morality that is at least equal to 'Christian' standards.

I think the derivation of morality from the bible is a rather overrated concept.

by Sin é Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:11 pm

super_realist wrote:Bit like every religion Diggers, always love bashing others but woebetide you if you dare to question a Jew, Christian, Muslim over their hysterical mythical and unproven beliefs etc.

Psychos, the lot of them. Only reason they aren't in mental hospitals is we don't have the room to house them all.

Why would you want to question anyone's beliefs - who do you think you are? God? Wink

What draws people together is generally sharing something - with family it is family is sharing parents, for a country, its sharing the same bit of land, the same football team, the same church. People like to belong.

by super_realist Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:14 pm

Sin (an ironic name), you are priceless.

So if a society/family/town/country develop a notion over a thousand years that they were created by an onion this would be acceptable would it?

Belief in religion is a catastrophic waste of time and creates terrible problems.

Belong to something based in fact and science, not hair brained nonsense otherwise prepare to have your poorly based beliefs questioned and rightly ridiculed.

by Sin é Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:16 pm

super_realist wrote:Ha ha. What a load of cobblers. So everyone who was brought up in a society that didn't have Adam and Eve and the bible has no sense of morality. i'm sure the Arab's would love to hear that.

You religious nut jobs are priceless.

are you saying people weren't decent and moral people 2000 years ago before Christianity?

Well done, you've just made the most stupid post ever on this golf forum.

Pretty much every religion/people have always believed in a superior or supernatural being. Don't Muslims think Christ was a prophet (so would have been influenced by the bible (i.e., Adam & Eve).

by SmithersJones Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:17 pm

Morality is nothing other than evolution in action. If the human race (and various other species of primate and other animals) weren't inherently 'moral' we'd have died out long ago. That criminals make up such a small proportion of the world's population is testament to the successful (in the biological sense) nature of morality, and has nothing to do with religion. Look at the US; one of the most religious nations on earth and has the highest percentage of prisoners.

Aside from which, some of the most amoral people on the planet are religious. I loved this from the brilliant Tim Minchin - The Pope Song

by Skerries Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:19 pm

"I’ll play for whoever takes me, I just want to be an Olympian," said McDowell

I don't believe that. He will definitely not compete because he doesn't want to disrespect anyone. Why would he? GMac is a decent bloke as are all the NI golfers. The media should leave well alone IMO.

Sin é - I really don't think anyone from NI will be stupid enough to compete. They all have too much respect for everyone and their life is good as it is. Think about it, if they did compete they might get away with it as long as they didn't win. Standing for either national anthem for any of them will create problems that will last for the rest of their lives. In theory winning an Olympic gold should be the proudest moment of a sportsman's life. Not in golf, those moments are the winning of majors and they've all done that.

Leave them be.

by super_realist Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:20 pm

Sin é wrote:
super_realist wrote:Ha ha. What a load of cobblers. So everyone who was brought up in a society that didn't have Adam and Eve and the bible has no sense of morality. i'm sure the Arab's would love to hear that.

You religious nut jobs are priceless.

are you saying people weren't decent and moral people 2000 years ago before Christianity?

Well done, you've just made the most stupid post ever on this golf forum.

Pretty much every religion/people have always believed in a superior or supernatural being. Don't Muslims think Christ was a prophet (so would have been influenced by the bible (i.e., Adam & Eve).

How do you know every society througout history has believed in something? You can't go back far enough to see, and even if they did you don't know their morality. You said it was the Bible that gave people a moral compass, no point trying to change your tune.

Plenty of people with religious beliefs have appalling morals, and plenty aetheists who have no religious indoctrination have perfectly good morals. Guaranteed the most violent countries in the world are those with the highest proportion of people who follow a religion.

by Sin é Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:22 pm

super_realist wrote:Sin (an ironic name), you are priceless.

So if a society/family/town/country develop a notion over a thousand years that they were created by an onion this would be acceptable would it?

Belief in religion is a catastrophic waste of time and creates terrible problems.

Belong to something based in fact and science, not hair brained nonsense otherwise prepare to have your poorly based beliefs questioned and rightly ridiculed.

My username is Sin É (not Sin). Its a commonly used Irish phrase which translates into English as "Thats It".

Why does it bother you what people believe? Most religions are fine - it how some people interpret them is the problem.

by Skerries Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:23 pm

People are always the problem.

by djlovesyou Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:24 pm

Skerries wrote:"I’ll play for whoever takes me, I just want to be an Olympian," said McDowell

I don't believe that. He will definitely not compete because he doesn't want to disrespect anyone. Why would he? GMac is a decent bloke as are all the NI golfers. The media should leave well alone IMO.

Sin é - I really don't think anyone from NI will be stupid enough to compete. They all have too much respect for everyone and their life is good as it is.

Leave them be.

What makes golfers different from people who do other sports? A number of people from NI were in the team for London, and some competed for Eire and others for GB. You would imagine that if GMac and McIlroy had no intention of competing in 2016, they would just keep quiet at this juncture.

Not everything needs to be about petty politics, it's testimony to these individuals that they can rise above the nonsense.

by super_realist Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:27 pm

Sin é wrote:
super_realist wrote:Sin (an ironic name), you are priceless.

So if a society/family/town/country develop a notion over a thousand years that they were created by an onion this would be acceptable would it?

Belief in religion is a catastrophic waste of time and creates terrible problems.

Belong to something based in fact and science, not hair brained nonsense otherwise prepare to have your poorly based beliefs questioned and rightly ridiculed.

My username is Sin É (not Sin). Its a commonly used Irish phrase which translates into English as "Thats It".

Why does it bother you what people believe? Most religions are fine - it how some people interpret them is the problem.

The world would be a lot better without it, thats for sure. So yes, the continuation of religion in 2012 bothers me, because it is utter nonsense and there really is no place for it in this day and age.

by McLaren Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:27 pm

Is abortion still banned in ROI?

by super_realist Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:28 pm

McLaren wrote:Is abortion still banned in ROI?

Probably Mac. sign of a backward country taking choice away from its population

by Gareth_NI Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:31 pm

I believe abortion is indeed banned unless the womans life is said to be at risk from a continued pregnancy.

by super_realist Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:32 pm

Gareth_NI wrote:I believe abortion is indeed banned unless the womans life is said to be at risk from a continued pregnancy.

That is frankly appalling, and another reason why religion ought to have no place in politics and government.

by Sin é Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:33 pm

super_realist wrote:
Sin é wrote:
super_realist wrote:Ha ha. What a load of cobblers. So everyone who was brought up in a society that didn't have Adam and Eve and the bible has no sense of morality. i'm sure the Arab's would love to hear that.

You religious nut jobs are priceless.

are you saying people weren't decent and moral people 2000 years ago before Christianity?

Well done, you've just made the most stupid post ever on this golf forum.

Pretty much every religion/people have always believed in a superior or supernatural being. Don't Muslims think Christ was a prophet (so would have been influenced by the bible (i.e., Adam & Eve).

How do you know every society througout history has believed in something? You can't go back far enough to see, and even if they did you don't know their morality. You said it was the Bible that gave people a moral compass, no point trying to change your tune.

Plenty of people with religious beliefs have appalling morals, and plenty aetheists who have no religious indoctrination have perfectly good morals. Guaranteed the most violent countries in the world are those with the highest proportion of people who follow a religion.

You know from cave drawings that they did (mainly sun worshippers). The bible is the first record of a code of morality.

Setting yourself up as god again judging people's morality. How do you know what is moral anyway? (more than likely through your parents, school, society who in this part of the world are generally christian (back to the bible again).

Is there a group of people/country in the world that doesn't have a 'religion'?

by Skerries Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:33 pm

djlovesyou

Golf in Ireland is run, like rugby, in a 'island of Ireland' way. Ulster, Munster, Leinster and Connaught make up Ireland. Northern Ireland (6 counties) is just part of Ulster (9 counties).

Golfers in Ireland are supported by the Golfing Union of Ireland and represent the island of Ireland in matches with other countries.

The Rugby team even has its own anthem, Ireland's_Call.

by super_realist Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:35 pm

So again Sin, how do you know there weren't moral people pre bible?

I've no problem with Christian values, but saying that's where morality began is poppycock.
Some of the least religious countries in the world are some of the most moral and peaceful nations in the world.

Religion might take the moral high ground when it suits them, but it's guilty of some of the greatest problems in history.

by djlovesyou Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:38 pm

Golf is also an individual sport. They can make their own minds up as to whether they play (and if they have an option) who they play for.

Just because a governing body might have a hissy fit shouldn't affect a player's decision or freedoms in this matter.

Like it or not, players from NI are fully entitled to play for the British team.

by Skerries Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:38 pm

Arguments about religion never end well....

Boring

by Sin é Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:39 pm

super_realist wrote:
Gareth_NI wrote:I believe abortion is indeed banned unless the womans life is said to be at risk from a continued pregnancy.

That is frankly appalling, and another reason why religion ought to have no place in politics and government.

eh, Government didn't decide this. The people decided in a referendum.

Real democracy.

by djlovesyou Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:40 pm

Democracy or Theocracy?

by Gareth_NI Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:42 pm

Skerries, Both the quote from McDowell above (which I didn't know he had made) and anything from McIlroy is to the contrary of your assumption that they "wouldn't be stupid enough to play" provided both are playing well enough I would bet my mortgage that if they are asked to play they will play.

Provided the schedule is ok I imagine all top golfers will want to compete, why wouldn't they? Theres still four years more than enough time for both tours to finalise their schedules.

by McLaren Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:44 pm

"eh, Government didn't decide this. The people decided in a referendum."

Wow, what a nice bunch of people they must be. I wonder, do they still burn witches?

I guess the mystery of why the US love Ireland has just been solved, it is clear Ireland is the christian nutterdom many in the us would just love to live in.

by Skerries Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:45 pm

djlovesyou wrote:Golf is also an individual sport. They can make their own minds up as to whether they play (and if they have an option) who they play for.

Just because a governing body might have a hissy fit shouldn't affect a player's decision or freedoms in this matter.

Like it or not, players from NI are fully entitled to play for the British team.

Yes, they could play for however they want and for many lesser players it probably wouldn't create such an issue but these guys are world superstars from the island of Ireland. Lot's of people admire them from 'both sides'.

Competing in the Olympics is therefore a no-win situation.

Ironically they both pay their taxes in Florida I think, certainly not in GB or Ireland.

by Sin é Fri 14 Sep 2012, 1:45 pm

djlovesyou wrote:Democracy or Theocracy?

Not sure what you are getting at here ... but The Irish Republic has a written Constitution (which is an evolving document). It can only be amended by a referenda (i.e., Irish people resident in Ireland vote).

Thats democracy.

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