Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell were kept apart yesterday as Europe’s players prepared for their first official practice rounds ahead of the 40th Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.

McIlroy and McDowell have been regular partners in team events since 2009, winning three of their four matches in the Seve Trophy and also representing Ireland in the World Cup that year and 2011.

The Northern Irish duo have also played six times together in the Ryder Cup, including the very first match at Medinah two years ago, and would seemingly make an obvious pairing at Gleneagles.

However, European captain Paul McGinley said on Monday that their record of two wins, three losses and one half from those six matches meant they were not a formidable pairing “written in stone,” and Tuesday’s practice line-up offered hints about possible alternative partnerships.

McGinley also revealed that Alex Ferguson would address his European team yesterday evening.

“He’s a guy that I played with in the JP McManus pro-am about 15 years ago and that I’ve seen now and again over that time, and when I became captain I asked him,” McGinley said of the former Manchester United manager.

“Of course he was more than willing to help. But the one thing he asked me to do was keep it really quiet. Walking around [the course] is not keeping it quiet, is it? We wanted a bit of a surprise for the players but I guess it’s not a surprise.”