Rory In Rio: Will Have To Wear New Balance!?

An unbylined Belfast Telegraph Irish Golf Desk (original location) story by Brian Keogh says Rory McIlroy will be wearing, gulp, New Balance stuff at the Rio Olympic Games because Nike never build to sponsor team Ireland.

Worse, Ireland's Olympic Council boss Pat Hickey revealed that Nike was given the shot to outfit Team Ireland and passed.

Instead the deal went to Boston-based New Balance for what Hickey described as "peanuts" - believed to be less than €2m - compared to the $20m a year that Nike are paying the four-time major champion.

"Before Rory decided whether he'd declare for Team GB or Ireland we put our team gear out to contract," Hickey said at the '100 days to Rio' presentation in Dublin.

"Just in case he declared for us, we went to Nike in the UK and told them we might have Rory. But they just dismissed us out of hand and now they regret it, I believe."