Graeme McDowell’s voice softened as he revisited a formative memory on The Smylie Show. “We’d been pretty close friends since he turned pro,” he said of Rory McIlroy. “We played a lot of practice rounds together…we knew we had the next superstar and we had to protect him.” McDowell recalled the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor, where captain Colin Montgomerie paired the reigning U.S. Open champion with a 21-year-old rookie who had only months earlier dismissed the event as “an exhibition.” McDowell explained, “Monty kind of put me with him and told me to basically take care of him,” describing how he became Rory’s “protection system” that week.

The friendship felt fraternal. McDowell even remembered a team prank: “One of the practice rounds…we all got Rory wigs that we wore for team practice, trying to create a little bit of funny, viral press to take attention away from the scrutiny he was under.” McIlroy was facing scrutiny in 2010 because of his poor performance at The Open Championship, where he posted an 80 in the second round after recording a 63 in the first. This resulted in a lot of media coverage and public pressure on his game. But he admired how quickly Rory McIlroy developed a “pretty thick skin,” but also stressed that in those early days Rory was “a little greener behind the ears.” McDowell summed it up with a line that resonated far beyond the podcast: “I was very proud to be part of his protection system a little bit in the early days and be the big brother, and quickly he outgrew me and became the superstar that he is today.”

Those warm reflections arrived just after a very different headline. Months earlier, McDowell had been quoted by Bunkered, making what some fans viewed as a worrying prediction about McIlroy’s future. In that interview, he suggested that McIlroy might struggle to maintain peak form over the next several years, comments many interpreted as “throwing him under the bus.” The timing was striking: the same man who once shielded Rory from criticism was now being portrayed as a public skeptic of the four-time major champion’s staying power.

To understand the tension, it is helpful to recall the arc of their careers. McDowell captured the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and anchored Europe’s Ryder Cup win the same year, but McIlroy soon eclipsed him with four majors between 2011 and 2014 and a long run as world No. 1. McDowell acknowledged that shift directly: “Quickly he outgrew me,” he said, a candid admission that the protégé became the sport’s global face while his mentor settled into veteran status and, later, the LIV Golf league.

However, despite being on opposite sides of the golf world, they still share a great bond. In 2023, the LIV Golfer admitted that he remains “very close” with Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry. He had even met the two just a week before in the Open Championship. So, the respect McDowell and McIlroy share for each other is mutual, irrespective of everything else. This point is further cemented if we go back to the 2014 legal issue of McIlroy’s management company at the time, Horizon. At that time, he was suing the company with which McDowell was attached. So, seeing this, there were a lot of questions of whether this would affect their friendship and their performance as the two were paired for the Ryder Cup. McIlroy affirmed it with,“It won’t. That is complete nonsense,” further adding that it does not affect their relationship in any way.

So, it’s safe to say that their bond comes from a strong foundation, which is why McDowell’s remarks about Rory’s resilience were not just idle nostalgia. They highlighted how McIlroy’s early experiences: media scrutiny over his “exhibition” comments, and the pressure of a first Ryder Cup, helped build the mental toughness that has fueled a career tally of 26 PGA Tour wins and four majors. By 2025, McIlroy had added multiple FedExCup titles and Ryder Cup appearances, remaining a fixture in the world top-10 for over a decade. The very qualities McDowell admired back then are the ones that have kept Rory competitive now.

Seen in that light, the supposed contradiction between mentor and critic begins to dissolve. McDowell’s recent cautionary words can be read less as betrayal and more as the frank assessment of someone who knows the demands of elite golf and has watched Rory’s journey up close. His dual role, once a teammate who wore a wig to make a kid laugh, now a veteran unafraid to speak hard truths, reflects the complicated, evolving nature of long friendships in professional sport.

From protected rookie to one of Europe’s best, McIlroy now faces a new question: when, and if, he’ll step into a Ryder Cup captain’s role.

Top Stories

Golf Veteran Wants ‘Asterisk’ Behind Scottie Scheffler & Co.’s Names for Their PGA Tour Wins

Charley Hull Makes Jaws Drop With ‘Gorgeous’ Halloween Outfit Amid LPGA Break

Greg Norman Makes Quiet Move Days After LIV Golf Departure

Real Reason Rickie Fowler Is Not Invited to Tiger Woods-Hosted Bahamas Event Gets Confirmed by Insider

Paige Spiranac Makes Honest Plea About Her Golf Game After Bad Shot Went Viral: ‘Not Helping…’

Rory McIlroy reveals his future in the Ryder Cup

Rory McIlroy recently revealed that he has already turned down the chance to be a playing captain for Europe at a future Ryder Cup, including the 2027 edition at Adare Manor in Ireland. Speaking during the 2025 BMW Championship, he said the idea “has come up, and I’ve shot it down straight away,” making it clear he does not think the dual role is realistic.

McIlroy explained why he said no: “I don’t think you can do it,” he told reporters. “If you want to be the best captain you can be, you can’t play, and if you want to be the best player you can be, you can’t captain.” He highlighted the heavy demands of captaincy, extra media duties, team meetings, and preparing opening-ceremony speeches as distractions that would pull focus from performing as a player.

His decision carries weight because of his Ryder Cup record. Since his debut in 2010, McIlroy has played in seven Ryder Cups with a 16-13-4 overall record (7-5-1 in foursomes, 5-6-2 in four-balls, and 4-2-1 in singles). Those numbers, combined with four major titles and a career Grand Slam completed at the 2025 Masters, make him one of Europe’s most experienced and successful players, which is why captaincy offers have already arrived.

By turning down the dual role, McIlroy is shaping his legacy differently. He wants to remain a top competitor first, keeping his focus on winning majors and leading Europe as a player. His stance shows that he values quality over symbolism, preferring to give 100% either as a player now or, when the time is right, as a full-time captain in the future.