Later in 2011, Northern Ireland's golf superstar Rory McIlory made a peculiar career decision: he ended his working relationship with sports super agent Chubby Chandler and International Sports Management. While the break up was certainly done on good terms, McIlory hadn't offered much detail on the rationale behind his decision. That is, until now. According to NBC Sports' Ryan Ballengee, the back nine disaster at the 2011 Masters may have been the final straw that broke the proverbial camel's back for young Rory.

“It might have set the wheels in motion in some way," McIlroy said, according to the website Irish Golf Desk. "I was getting advice from left, right and center after the Masters. From people I was close to and from people that just wanted to offer some sort of help."

In essence, too many cooks may have begun to spoil the broth, but McIlroy had the foresight to notice this trend and decided to nip the issue in the bud.

“I really had to filter everything through and try and make decisions myself. Sometimes I felt I let people make decisions for me instead of taking my career into my own hands and deciding this is what I want to do, this is where I want to go. That day at the Masters helped me do that," he said.

Young athletes face a great deal of pressure when in the spotlight, especially those with the talent and potential of Rory McIlroy. There are very few players who would have been able to bounce back from the unfortunate Master's final round to capture the very next major, let alone by such a large victory margin. While his career is still in its early stages, McIlroy has consistently shown a level of maturity and professionalism that any of his peers could (and should) appreciate.

(The above was originally posted by the author for Waggleroom.com)