Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley said that Rory McIlroy’s “up and down” form is not reason for concern.

The Guardian quoted McGinley’s defense of the golfer saying, “My opinion on Rory six months ago is the same opinion I have now. I don’t think Rory is ever going to be a flat-line golfer. I think it’s in his DNA to be up and down.”

McIlroy has had a disappointing season thus far. This month he placed 41st in the U.S. Open and his unprofessional displays of frustration have received almost as much attention as his playing.

McGinley is optimistic that McIlroy will be back up soon. He said, “He is never going to be a Nick Faldo who is going to flat line. We just have to accept that and let him get on with it. He will come through the bit of a trough that he has had; he’ll come through and have success again. I don’t see Rory as a flat-line player and I just think that’s going to be part of his career for the rest of his life.”

He continued, “Everybody is different and one of the reasons why he is so exciting is the fact that he is up and down. That’s one of the reasons why Seve (Ballesteros) was so exciting, he was up and down, too. I think that’s the X factor that Rory has. He can win every week.”

Irish golfer Padraig Harrington also defended the golfer from Northern Ireland saying, “Rory is only ever one golf shot away from playing great.”

The Belfast Telegraph
quoted Harrington further words of encouragement to McIlroy, “He’s had different periods like [Quail Hollow in 2010] and as long as Rory understands and accepts it, the better. The more he fights against it and looks for consistency, the harder it will be for him to get it. He just has to wait for the good weeks. I know I’ve said it before, but consistency is highly overrated in this game.”

Perhaps McIlroy will be up when he next plays at the Irish Open at Carton House starting on Thursday, June 27, 2013.