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Golfing superstar Rory McIlroy has said he will rethink comments he made about choosing whether to compete for Britain or Ireland in the 2016 Olympic Games.
Last week the Holywood young gun, who is Catholic, said he had felt "more British than Irish" - the remarks seemingly the strongest indication of the sportsman's intentions to represent Team GB in Rio.
But the 23-year-old two-time major winner and world number one at the time said he had "absolutely not made a decision" about who he would represent or whether he would compete.
Speaking in Atlanta yesterday he said he may reconsider his position on the matter.
"After everything that happened last week it definitely makes me reconsider my position and reconsider a lot of things," he added.
"I think it really hit home with me how important it is for a lot of people and how important my success has been to them.
"Obviously, I've had a lot of support from all sides - from people that call themselves Irish, from Northern Irish, to the whole of the UK, to people here in the States."
His comments earlier this month brought criticism from some - mainly because he received funding from the Golfing Union of Ireland before turning professional in 2007.
As an amateur he did not have to make a choice because, as in rugby, Northern Irish golfers play for Ireland.
"It would be terrible for me to nearly segregate myself from one of those groups that supports me so much," he said.
But the message from the star's fans this month was that his national identity was totally irrelevant.
Background
Earlier this month Rory McIlroy said he had "always felt more of a connection with the UK than with Ireland". However, he later said he had not yet made up his mind on who to represent or whether to compete. Whatever decision he made was likely to cause controversy, he said.
