Prize catch Rory was not poached

THERE was no poaching by Horizon and no enticement on my part.

That was the very clear message from Graeme McDowell at Valderrama last night when the issue of Rory McIlroy’s switch from Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler’s International Sports Management Company (ISM) to Horizon Sports, the Dublin-based company headed by Conor Ridge, was raised with the 2010 US Open champion.

There has been considerable speculation that McDowell, who himself made the switch from ISM to Horizon four years ago, had influenced McIlroy in his decision to travel down the same route. It’s an inference that clearly annoys the 2010 US Open champion and he went to some lengths to rubbish the notion.