What becomes of the broken-hearted? In golf, they simply dust themselves down and catch a plane to the next tournament.

After his disappointment in Dubai, there could be no better antidote for Rory McIlroy than a week with affable fellow Ulsterman Graeme McDowell at the Mission Hills World Cup.

Especially so, should they justify joint favouritism with England this week and, as McIlroy playfully suggested, “bring the cup back to Northern Ireland.”

Of course, McIlroy and McDowell represent the entire island in China, but it was good to hear a little of the usual wicked wit from the 20-year-old, even as the most wounding defeat of his career still smarted.

As stablemates at International Sports Management, Westwood and McIlroy might be regular dinner companions, but the sharply-barbed banter in which they regularly engage inevitably intensifies the fierce rivalry between them.

Having the Race to Dubai title whipped from under his nose by Westwood caused McIlroy more pain than any other defeat in his career, particularly the way it happened.

In fairness, Westwood, playing the best golf of his life, ran away with the Dubai World Championship. Yet at no point during the four days did McIlroy perform consistently well enough to put him under pressure.

On the podium, Westwood chided McIlroy for revealing after last Thursday's first round his relief at not having to endure the distraction of playing with his leading rival in the Race to Dubai the following day.

“It obviously was a massive feather in my cap when Rory said that. There was nothing better I could hear from a competitor; I wouldn't have said it but I've been on Tour 16 years and he has been on Tour three years. It's something he'll learn over a period of time,” Westwood crowed.

One hopes McIlroy will ignore Westwood's advice and continue wearing his heart on his sleeve on the course and telling the plain truth off it.

The mind games the Englishman played had nothing to do with the two infuriating bogeys McIlroy took late on Friday or the shots he dropped on the final three holes on Saturday.

It's happened to the youngster before. He let Christian Cevaer off the hook at the European Open, for example, and certainly could have pressed the inspired Simon Dyson harder at the Dunhill Links.

Mental stamina will come with age. For now, McElroy must continue to play for the sheer joy of it; and ignore Westwood's psychobabble before, during or after the fact.