Padraig Harrington commits to Rio Olympics

The way golfers are dropping out of Rio 2016, Padraig Harrington has a bloody good chance of getting us a medal.

"I'm raring to go. I can't wait for it really." This is the good news we were waiting for. Harrington has committed to Team Ireland for the Olympic Games in Brazil. On the back of withdrawals for Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and now Shane Lowry, the Dubliner has expressed his keen interest in chasing gold for Ireland. The three other golfers have all cited the Zika virus and their hopes of starting, and adding to, young families as the reasons for skipping the Olympics. Harrington told Newstalk's Off The Ball that he is game ball:

"It's very good news for me. Bad news for Irish golf. "Nobody would want to play for their country more than Shane Lowry. No-one would like to go to the Olympics more than Shane... You can't question Shane's loyalty."

Harrington is waiting for his official invite from the Olympic Council of Ireland but has already made plans to head to Brazil with his wife Caroline. "I've won three Majors but if I won the Olympics, it would be right at the top of [my career achievements]," he declared. Harrington did concede that 'some golfers do not care for the Olympics' but he stressed, once again, that Lowry would travel to Brazil were it not for concerns outside his personal golfing ambitions.