Lights, cameras, action as McIlroy signs up to the ranks of 'the swoosh'

Cindy: “Awesome.”

The rest of it was fairly regulation stuff. They aired good luck messages from Wayne Rooney, Roger Federer and Tiger Woods, the latter even going so far as to say, “Welcome to the family”. Then they showed the new TV ad McIlroy and Woods have made together, a knockabout piece of caper in which they take turns firing golf balls into cups, beakers and champagne glasses.

More pressure

Finally, Davis invited questions from the press. We asked if this put him under more pressure now and he replied that no, he always puts most pressure on himself anyway. We asked if the new season had a different slant now that he had different equipment. “No, not at all,” he said. “The change has been absolutely seamless and I just can’t wait to get started.”

Just as we were starting to wonder if Davis was going to grab him by the collar of his Nike tracksuit top and scream, “Don’t you get it?! Everything has changed! Everything is better than before!”, we brought up the slightly sticky question of his putter.

Over the weekend, an internet photo taken at the course in Dubai where he was practising with his new clubs showed that there were two putters in his bag – his new Nike Method one and his old Titleist Scotty Cameron one. For years Woods stuck with his old putter even though the rest of his bag was filled with Nike clubs and he won 13 of his 14 majors with it.

Does Rory, we wondered, have the option of doing the same if his new Nike Method doesn’t work out?

“I’m really happy with the putter I have in the bag. I’ve practised with it and I feel really comfortable with it. So I have no further comment to make. From now on I’ll be playing a Method putter.”

But do you have the option to go back to the other one?

“I’m not here to talk about the specifics of the contract.”

Ah well.

The general awesomeness of it all will have to do.