Rory McIlroy's Conflict with Graeme McDowell Will Hinder European Ryder Cup Team

Golf's most prestigious—and patriotic—match play event is just days away, and the heavily favored European team is suddenly experiencing a bit of dissension in the ranks. Longtime partners Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell were expected by many to team up for the 2014 Ryder Cup, but the way things are looking, that's unlikely to happen.

A conflict began between the two players after a lawsuit between the world No. 1 and his former management company—and McDowell's current group—Horizon Sports Management. Ongoing tension between the two has led to speculation that they wouldn't be paired together during the foursomes or fourball formats this year at Gleneagles.

In fact, McDowell spoke about the situation during a press conference, via Ewan Murray of The Guardian:

"

He's the world's No. 1 player. He's a four-times major champion. The dynamic between him and I is changed forever. He would now be the leader of the two of us and perhaps the dynamic doesn't work as well as it did in the past. Perhaps I'm the kind of guy that needs that leadership role a little bit, who needs to feel like he is on at least on a level with the guy he’s playing with. I'll be the first to admit it.

"

Whether you believe that statement from McDowell or think it's a cover-up for his true feelings toward his fellow countryman, one thing is for certain: Their chemistry appears to be long gone.

It sure seems as though captain Paul McGinley is taking the situation seriously. During his team's Tuesday practice at Gleneagles, McIlroy and McDowell were in different groups, according to the European Ryder Cup Team:

With this potential switch recently emerging, Europe only has three days to get everything sorted out. After all, if McIlroy and McDowell don't play together, multiple groups could be altered while McGinley attempts to create the best possible pairings.

This domino effect could give the underdog American team a bit of an advantage heading into the opening day of the tournament. Captain Tom Watson hasn't revealed his pairings just yet; however, Mike McAllister of PGATour.com got the inside scoop of what the team could be planning.

Here's a look at McAllister's predictions:

Pairing 1	Matt Kuchar	Jordan Spieth
Pairing 2	Jim Furyk	Patrick Reed
Pairing 3	Rickie Fowler	Jimmy Walker
Pairing 4	Bubba Watson	Webb Simpson
Pairing 5	Zach Johnson	Hunter Mahan
Pairing 6	Phil Mickelson	Keegan Bradley

A tweet from Sky Sports only increases the probability of these groups coming to fruition:

The pairings are brilliant. All three rookies have been paired with highly experienced veterans—or, in Rickie Fowler's case, an experienced player on a big hot streak. The other three pairings have all previously participated in at least one past Ryder Cup.

At Medinah in 2012, Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley produced a blemish-free 3-0 record, while Webb Simpson and Bubba Watson went 2-1. Back in 2010, Zach Johnson and Hunter Mahan finished 1-1.

With the Europeans possibly shifting around due to the situation between McIlroy and McDowell, and the Americans formulating a well-constructed game plan, the United States may turn some heads during the first day of the 2014 Ryder Cup.

We're certainly in for some compelling golf, and it just may be a closer contest than previously anticipated.