Graeme McDowell has insisted he played no role in Rory McIlroy's recent decision to quit the ISM management stable.
McIlroy caused more than a few a ripples in golfing circles after announcing he had decided to leave Andrew 'Chubby' Chandler's ISM team to join Dublin-based Horizon Sports - the company that represents McDowell.
McDowell and McIlroy - the last two US Open champions - are close friends and McDowell also opted to leave ISM for Horizon earlier in his career.
With speculation swirling that he had influenced McIlroy's decision, McDowell has come out to deny any such involvement.
Business decision
"Rory's a very intelligent man, he's got to make his own decisions about his career and I certainly would never want to get involved in a guy's career like that," McDowell told Sky Sports.
"Rory's going to be one of the best players in the world, if not the best, he's going to win a lot of major championships and never would I want to get involved in a guy's business decision like that.
"Rory's witnessed the job Horizon have done for me over the last few years, we're very close friends and he knows they've done a great job for me.
"I really have no idea what went wrong within the ISM camp but we're very excited to have him at Horizon Sports and I'm very happy to have a friend, and a friendly rivalry, within the camp."
Meanwhile, McDowell believes he is close to rediscovering the kind of form that saw him win no fewer than four times last season.
The 32-year-old admits he has struggled to hit the heights this time around but is hopeful the Andalucia Masters will signal a change in fortunes.
Returning as champion, McDowell got his defence at Valderrama underway with a two-over 73, but is hopeful the tournament in Spain will spark a late-season charge.
Turned the corner
"It's great to be back here defending this year and looking for a bit of a special spark that perhaps this golf course will give to me," he continued.
"I've been working hard, I feel like I've been playing pretty well the last couple of months and I've really turned that corner.
"It's been a frustrating year for me, no doubt about it, but the Dunhill Links, finishing third there, gave me a lot of confidence and my game's really getting there.
"I'm starting to understand my mechanics a bit better than I have this year and understanding where the bad ones come from and, of course, where the good ones come from so I'm excited.
"I've got a great schedule this next seven weeks and this is where it's all going to start for me."