"In the absence of any meaningful, professional management of his dealings with the media, McIlroy is going to continue to face a lot more aggravation than he really needs to."

Media bashers won't buy the argument, but Karl MacGinty lays out an eloquent case for why Rory McIlroy will continue to have weird little off-course dust-ups until his break-up with Horizon is settled.

His 'Black Friday' at the Honda Classic in March, when McIlroy walked off the 18th fairway and abandoned the tournament after completing just eight holes of the second round, is an obvious case in point.

His honest, heartfelt answer to reporters was that his head simply wasn't in the right place which earned respect and sympathy throughout the game.

Yet the drama turned into an enduring PR crisis when, within the hour, a statement was issued citing wisdom toothache as the reason for McIlroy's withdrawal, sparking a "mental or dental" which festered for five days until he (sort of) "cleared the air" in a media conference.

In fairness, Horizon were, I understand, in the process of appointing a full-time media and PR liaison officer for McIlroy when they were stunned by news last May of the golfer's decision to set up a team of relatives, friends and close confidants to manage his own affairs.

As lawyers from both sides try to settle serious contractual issues, McIlroy is in a managerial 'twilight zone', but until the legal situation is resolved, he cannot officially appoint his new team.