Rory and G-Mac turn G-Men on Phil

Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell refused to make a federal case out of Phil Mickelson’s comments on the lawsuit that rumbles on involving their soon-to-be ex-management company.

But that didn’t stop at least one half of the Ulster duo firing some good-nature “banter” back at the left-hander over his involvement in not one of but two FBI investigations.

“I got a couple of jabs back at Phil at the gala dinner,” McIlroy said. “We had a few laughs. He took it well. It’s no big deal. G-Mac and I confronted him and he took it well. I had a couple of gos. It was all in good fun.”

Mickelson was asked in his news conference Wednesday if the Americans have struggled to win because they aren’t as close as the Europeans.

“Not only are we able to play together, we also don’t litigate against each other, and that’s a real plus,” Mickelson cracked.

“That was just Phil being Phil,” McIlroy said.

While he has been cleared in the first of two insider trading investigations by the FBI, Mickelson and Las Vegas gambler Billy Walters remain under investigation for a separate situation in which they made trades of Dean Foods stock in 2012 just before that company’s prices skyrocketed.

McDowell played down the ‘incident’ too, though he didn’t deny having a go at Mickelson’s expense.

“Rory and I are very comfortable with the situation at this point,” McDowell said. “Obviously Phil hasn’t really read any of the quotes over the last couple of weeks. And he was poking a little fun. And he said to us last night that was kinda was how he meant it. That is how we took it. It was all good.”

So no mention of the FBI case? “We didn’t mention that at all!” McDowell said with a big grin. “I don’t think they have any jurisdiction here in Scotland. Nah. He meant it in jest and obviously it was taken in the media... It was a bit of a wind-up. Bit of craic.”

Mickelson certainly didn’t repeat what the two Irishmen said to him.

“I don’t know,” Mickelson said with a shrug. “Just like always.”

McDowell spoke openly about his involvement in the McIlroy-Horizon case to the Golf Channel before Mickelson even made his remarks on Wednesday.

“Thankfully, I haven’t been too embroiled in the legal battles. He’s not suing me, thank goodness,” McDowell said.

“My involvement was kind of inevitable in the end, I suppose, because I had a foot in both camps. Rory is a very good friend and Horizon Sports are still my management company so the inevitability of the awkwardness was there.

“We’re come through that and we’re better friends because of the experiences we’ve been through. For us to play this weekend would really put the icing on the cake. It would really nip it in the bud and show Rory and I are fine.

“He’s the world’s number one. I’d love to play with him. Watching him hit drives this afternoon, I’d have no problem playing alternate shot off those tee shots, that’s for sure. Don’t rule it out Saturday morning or afternoon.”