Rory McIlroy considering 2016 Olympic options

Rory McIlroy might not play in Rio in 2016. (GettyImages)

In an interview on a BBC documentary, Rory McIlroy revealed that he's considered not competing in the 2016 Olympics.

Play for one side or the other -- or not play at all because I may upset too many people… Those are my three options I'm considering very carefully.

What he means by "one side or the other" is choosing between Ireland and Great Britain because Northern Ireland, his home country, doesn't have an Olympic team.

I feel Northern Irish and obviously being from Northern Ireland you have a connection to Ireland and a connection to the UK. If I could and there was a Northern Irish team I'd play for Northern Ireland.

Last year, McIlroy was chastised for saying he "felt more British than Irish" and insinuating he would compete for Britain in Rio. In that interview, he said:

It was a moment, I don't want to say of weakness, but a moment of, I guess, frustration with it all.

Understandable -- everyone wants a piece of world No. 1.

It seems as if this would be like somebody from the United States trying to pick between two states to represent, neither of which he (or she) was from. As someone who went to college in a state other than the one that I grew up in, I admit this would be an arduous task.

As for McIlroy not playing -- where do I lay all my future paychecks (or is it paycheques?) against that happening?

Beneath all the cute tweets with his girlfriend and photo ops for sponsors lies a fire-breathing competitor. And fire-breathing competitors don't sit out events in their sport of the highest regard that haven't happened in 112 years.

I don't know whose colors that McIlroy will be wearing in 42 months, but I can guarantee you he'll be teeing it up in Brazil (even if he and Wozniacki have started their own country by then -- #TeamWozzilroy).