Graeme McDowell brushed aside comparing his Players Championship plunge saying it was nothing like Rory McIlroy’s Masters meltdown.
McDowell led going into the final of the storm-affected event before finishing in a share of 33rd place and eight shots behind.
A month ago, McIlroy led the Masters by one stroke with nine holes to play but lost by 10 to South African Charl Schwartzel.
“Rory’s Sunday afternoon at Augusta was very different from my afternoon last Sunday at the TPC,” he said.
“The Players Championship is the fifth major, if you believe the comments, but it’s nothing compared to the Masters.
“My 79 was more a factor of the way I played the last four or five holes when I was trying to get out of the way. My race had been run when I went pin hunting at 13 and found the water.
“So if you are going to draw comparisons in the two rounds of mine and Rory’s they were very different.
“The pressure on Rory was a hell of a lot more than it was for me Sunday afternoon at the Players.”
McDowell was commenting ahead of this week’s Euro 3.4m Volvo World Match –Play Championship at Finca Cortesin near Estepona in Spain.
In one of the best matches on day one, McDowell will play reigning British Open champ, Louis Oosthuizen.
McIlroy faces double U.S. Open champion, Retief Goosen and if both Ulstermen are successful in their group, they will be facing each other in the quarter-final.
