Rory McIlroy and Paul Casey today entered a seven-way play-off for the Tokyo Olympic bronze medal as American Xander Schauffele took gold at Kasumigaseki Country Club.

But many have been questioning - why does the Northern Irishman compete for Ireland and not Team GB?

The two-time PGA Championship winner was born in Holywood, Northern Ireland making him a UK citizen and eligible to represent Team GB.

However, the 32-year-old spent much of his early golfing career representing Ireland - both as an amatuer and at the World of Golf.

Despite this, he says he feels "more British than Irish". 

Speaking ahead of the 2016 Oympic Games in Rio De Janeiro, he explained “What makes it such an awful position to be in is I have grown up my whole life playing for Ireland under the Golfing Union of Ireland umbrella.”

He later added: “But the fact is, I’ve always felt more British than Irish.

"Maybe it was 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.

"And so I have to weigh that up against the fact that I’ve always played for Ireland and so it is tough.”

Despite discussing the issue for the 2016 games, he did not end up competing in Rio due to the Zika virus outbreak ahead of the event.