Irish golfer Rory McIlroy might be the king of the links, but when it comes to singing onstage, the smart money says he’ll choke.

The champion made a deal with One Direction for a work exchange challenge. 1D’s token Irishman, Niall Horan, caddied for Rory at the Masters in Augusta last week on the eve of the start of the tourney. Horan made a dog’s dinner of the opportunity – taking an embarrassing tumble, and then hitting a ball into the lake – much to McIlroy’s amusement.

“[Niall’s] been a great sport for doing it,” McIlroy told The Sun newspaper. “I stuck him with a big bag for the first nine holes. I think he was expecting something lighter."

Well, it seems Horan will have the last laugh -- the other half of the bargain was that McIlroy has to appear onstage at a 1D concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts on September 12. And let’s just say that singing in the shower is about the extent of Rory’s abilities.

And let the slagging begin . . .

“He’s allowed to pick the song, that was part of the deal,” Horan told The Sun. “If I went on the bag with him he would come on stage and sing with us.”

Niall couldn’t resist a dig: “Apparently [McIlroy’s] terrible.”

For his part, the world’s top golfer doesn’t expect to be offered former 1D member Zayn Malik’s position any time soon.

“I'm not looking forward to [the concert],” he laughed.