Graeme McDowell was delighted to become the first Irish winner of the Volvo World Match Play. Picture ©Getty ImagesA ruthless Graeme McDowell came up trumps where Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley failed when he overcame Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee 2 and 1 in the final of the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Bulgaria.

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Graeme McDowell marches on at the Volvo World Match Play. © Volvo in GolfGraeme McDowell gained some Volvo World Match Play revenge over Nicolas Colsaerts and put himself in with a chance of moving to seventh in the world at Thracian Cliffs today.

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Going their separate ways. Rory McIlroy and Horizon Sports Management’s Conor Ridge visit the White House in March 2012. Little more than a year later, McIlroy has decided to do his own thing. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)Graeme McDowell exonerated Horizon Sports Management from all blame and suggested that Rory McIlroy’s decision to dump them and manage his own affairs has a lot to do with snapping out of the slump in form he reckons has been caused by the massive pressures on his young pal’s shoulders.

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Graeme McDowell misses the green right at the second. Picture: Eoin Clarke www.golffile.ieGraeme McDowell got his Volvo World Match Play bid off to the perfect start with a clear cut 5 and 3 win over England’s Chris Wood at the spectacular Thracian Cliffs and Beach Resort in Bulgaria.

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Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland plays from the 9th tee during the pro-am event prior to the Volvo World Match Play Championship at Thracian Cliffs Golf & Beach Resort. ©Getty ImagesGraeme McDowell still has work to do to prove that his 2010 US Open victory wasn’t a one-off and when he tees it up in the Volvo World Match Play in Bulgaria today he’ll be gunning to take the next step towards the “big summer” he believes is on the cards following his victory in last month’s RBC Heritage at Hilton Head.

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Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell representing Ireland at the 2011 World Cup in China. Picture Phil Inglis www.golffile.ieRory McIlroy’s hopes of teeing it up for Northern Ireland in the World Cup - and remaining free of somehow being railroaded into playing for Ireland in the Olympics - were based purely on an ambiguously worded press release issued by the PGA Tour.

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Shane Lowry at Thracian Cliffs. Picture © Volvo in GolfShane Lowry has had the luck of the draw and avoided a first round showdown with Irish stablemate Graeme McDowell in this week’s Volvo World Match Play Championship in Bulgaria.

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Rory McIlroy was not pleased with his 72 but knows he’s still not out of contention for The PlayersRory McIlroy showed his growing maturity and patience but Pádraig Harrington could be forgiven for rapidly losing after barely scraping into the last two rounds of The Players at Sawgrass.

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Rory McIlroy in action at Sawgrass on Thursday. Rory McIlroy broke par for the first time on the Stadium Course at Sawgrass, surgically carving out a six under 66 to trail suprise leader Roberto Castro by three strokes.

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Rory McIlroy rubs his eyes before his media conference at Sawgrass on Wednesday.Chubby Chandler couldn’t do it and nor can his current agent, Conor Ridge.

Not even his friend Graeme McDowell, arugably the canniest of pros, can exert any much influence over Rory McIlroy. And that’s a shame because McDowell talks a lot of sense.

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