mean I should change (team)," McIlroy said. "So I

CORK, Ireland -- After months of indecision over who to represent, Rory McIlroy announced Wednesday that he will play for Ireland -- not Britain -- at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The 25-year-old McIlroy, who is from Northern Ireland, was eligible to play for either Ireland or Team GB when golf makes its return to the Olympics in Brazil for the first time since 1904. Having played all of his amateur golf under the auspices of the Dublin-based Golfing Union of Ireland, the two-time major winner opted to stay with Ireland for the Olympics. "I have been thinking about the decision a lot and remembered all the times I represented Ireland as an amateur," McIlroy said on the eve of the Irish Open in Cork. "I was always very proud to put on the Irish uniform and play as an amateur and as a boy, and I would be very proud to do it again." McIlroy has twice played in golfs World Cup for Ireland, both times alongside fellow Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell. "Just because Im getting paid to play this great game now doesnt mean I should change (team)," McIlroy said. "So Im very happy with my decision. It means I can look forward to the Olympics in a couple of years time -- you know, if I qualify, obviously, for the team. "I just thought it was the right thing to do. It was the right time to let everyone know. Now Im really looking forward to Rio in 16." McIlroy announced his decision ahead of next months International Golf Federation meeting that will finalize the eligibility criteria for the 2016 and 2020 Olympics. "Theres no point in delaying it and letting it linger any longer," he said. "Watching the World Cup in Brazil, thinking about Brazil in a couple of years time, it just sort of got me thinking, maybe I should just go ahead and get it out of the way." Still, McIlroy said, winning an Olympic medal would not match winning a major championship. "The majors in our sport are the biggest and best prizes in the game," he said. "But as hopefully golf grows in the Olympics and becomes, say, bigger in four or five games down the line, then it might become bigger." Citizens of Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, can hold both British and Irish citizenship. Most of the Protestant majority is British, most of its Catholic minority Irish. McIlroy, while raised a Catholic, grew up in the predominantly Protestant town of Holywood east of Belfast and once said he considered himself more British than Irish. His 2012 comments -- suggesting he might prefer to join the British team -- provoked strong ill feelings from Irish golf fans. McIlroy initially said he might skip Rio entirely to avoid alienating fans further. Two other top Northern Ireland golfers, Darren Clarke and McDowell, are Protestants who have identified with Ireland. Keke Coutee Texans Jersey . The Blue Jackets got goals from Cam Atkinson, Nick Foligno, Boone Jenner and R.J. Umberger and Curtis McElhinney posted his first shutout since 2011 in a 4-0 victory on Friday night. Tyrann Mathieu Jersey .cas NHL Play of the Year showdown continues today with a man whos spent most of his career on highlight reels and a goalie actually "reaching back" for a save. http://www.officialauthentictexansstore.com/authentic-sammie-coates-jersey.html . Lawries batting helmet hit an umpire during his ninth-inning outburst in the Jays 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday. The 22-year-old threw his helmet to the ground and it bounced up and hit home plate umpire Bill Miller on the right hip after Lawrie was called out on strikes for the second out. Tyrann Mathieu Texans Jersey .A. remained bitter for Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers on the long flight back home to New York. Martinas Rankin Jersey .com) - The Winnipeg Jets placed defenceman Paul Postma on injured reserve Tuesday.VIRGINIA WATER, England -- The downturn in Padraig Harringtons career will see the Irish golfer enter U.S. Open qualifying for the first time on Monday at Walton Heath on Londons outskirts. After missing out on qualifying for the Masters for a first occasion in 14 years, Harrington is staring at the likelihood of not competing in a U.S. Open for the first time in 15 years. Harrington, ranked 209th, will be among 121 players teeing up in the 36-hole qualifier, with the leading dozen earning the right to contest the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 from June 12. Harrington, who the British Open in 2007 and 2008 and the U.S. PGA Champiionship in 2008, played on the Old and New Courses at Walton Heath for the first time this week.dddddddddddd "Of course, I would rather not be going to Walton Heath, and I dont want to go there on Monday with any predetermined idea of what I have to do on one course and not the other," Harrington said on Friday. Also at Walton Heath will be two-time Masters winner Jose Maria Olazabal, who has had to qualify in six of the past eight years, and advanced only three times. Mondays field will also include former Ryder Cup players Thomas Levet, Soren Hansen, Robert Karlsson and Edoardo Molinari. 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