On the eve of the tournament, McIlroy took to Twitter again: "Had a great time with the Bose crew at the launch of our exciting new partnership last night. Looking forward to a great relationship."

McIlroy, who dates former World No.1 tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, will get an early chance to silence the doubters as he is due to tee off next week in the WGC-Cadillac Championship on Doral's daunting Blue Monster Course.

It is all part of his preparation for a tilt at the U.S. Masters in Augusta, one of his major targets for the year as he bids to build on a 2012 season when he topped the money lists on the PGA and European Tours and claimed the U.S. PGA Championship in stunning fashion.