Advertisement
Stephen Morton/AP/Press Association Images
His Own Man

McDowell: I had nothing to do with Rory's ISM exit

Graeme McDowell insists that Rory McIlroy makes his own decisions and he didn’t urge his friend to join him at Horizon.

GRAEME McDOWELL INSISTS he played no part in Rory McIlroy’s decision to change his sports agency from ISM to Horizon, where McDowell has been on the books since 2007.

McIlroy made the surprise decision to leave Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler’s stable last week and speculation has been rife that McDowell played a part in that. However, the Portrush golfer denies any involvement and insists that McIlroy makes all his own decisions.

“I’ve heard I’m supposed to have enticed Rory, well I purposely took a back seat in it all,” ESPN reports McDowell as saying.

“Rory makes his own decisions and doesn’t listen to anybody. I certainly wasn’t going to sway him about what to do with his career. Even if I could he’d only resent it if it didn’t work out.”

McDowell’s split from ISM was amicable when it happened four years ago, and he believes McIlroy’s will be the same.

“I went through the same process three or four years ago and it was very amicable. Rory’s split seems pretty amicable as well,” he said.

“That’s life, it’s business, not personal. We are one big travelling circus out here and it pays to get on with each other.

“I’ve never known any rifts to be catastrophic between players and management companies. It’s a long career, we’re not going to burn bridges and fall out with people.”

Read the full story on the ESPN website here >

Read: Tohill – Don’t let violence Rule series >