ONE of Ireland's most senior golf writers has told how he was "verbally lacerated" by members of Rory McIlroy's management team.

Dermot Gilleece described it as a "misplaced, misguided attack" that was "totally unprovoked and seriously unsettling".

Writing in the Sunday Independent, he said the golfer from Holywood in Co Down is well-liked and a "very nice man", but "his PR set-up however, is urgently in need of an overhaul".

The incident happened during the US Masters tournament last month involving two senior members of McIlroy's management team.

Mr Gilleece said their focus was on adverse publicity in some sections of the media over McIlroy's decision not to play in July's Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in Lahinch, Co Clare.

"Had his intended absence from Lahinch been handled properly, from a PR standpoint, when it first became a possibility last November, I'm sure the reaction here would have been far more understanding, given the player's enormous contribution to the event since he became its host in 2015," he said.

Mr Gilleece said "in terms of public image, McIlroy gets away with a lot, largely because of how well-liked he is", but a "stubborn streak" renders the golfer "resistant to advice".

"In these days of social media, people of his stature, not unlike movie stars, are going to be targeted if they fail to conform to their perceived public image. They need to seek and accept advice – which is where a strong management team comes in," he added.