Rory admits fame has forced him to live with his guard up

The Ryder Cup is the ultimate pressure cooker for a golfer but for Rory McIlroy — who wants Darren Clarke to succeed Paul McGinley as captain in 2016 — it’s not a lot different from the goldfish bowl existence that sums up the world No 1’s life these days.

Speaking alongside Clarke and Graeme McDowell in a special documentary on the Major-winning Irish trio, which airs on BBC One NI at 10.35pm tonight, McIlroy explains how he lives constantly in fear of being caught off guard by a fan with a mobile phone and a Twitter account.

“Every single person now is a media outlet because they have a Facebook or a Twitter or an Instagram or whatever it is,” he explains to the BBC’s Steve Watson. “You always have that shield up.