Ryder Cup 2012: How Rory McIlroy's backroom team has helped Ulsterman's rise Golf correspondent James Corrigan looks at the Ulsterman's six-strong backroom engine The swing coach Michael Bannon First met McIlroy as a toddler at Holywood Golf Club and has coached him since he was seven. Bannon continued working with McIlroy throughout his teens despite moving from Holywood to Bangor Golf Club and was the first to identify him as a potential world No 1. McIlroy has come to rely on the quietly-spoken Bannon. He has recently persuaded him to turn his back on being a club pro and from next month will be his dedicated coach. "Michael knows my golf better than anyone," says McIlroy. It will be great to have him all to myself.