The Ryder Cup tournament may not start until Friday morning, but the mind games between the two teams were kicked off by Phil Mickelson at a press conference this afternoon.
Asked about the relationship between the golfers on the US team Mickelson used his answer to have a swipe at the two golfers from the North.
"Not only do we play together,” said Mickelson, “we also don't litigate against each other and that's a real plus, I feel, heading into this week."
One listener can be heard saying,"ouch!", as the comment drew a laugh from the crowd.
Mickelson’s comment may have been meant lightheartedly, but McIlroy and McDowell are unlikely to be too pleased to have even more attention drawn to their off-field issues.