The empty bench in court number one told its own story.
Rory McIlroy wasn't present to hear the official confirmation of his hefty financial settlement with his old management company, Horizon Sports Management. He was long gone.
If truth be told, he was better off. Although his coffers are significantly lighter as a result of the legal action, his status as the world’s number-one golfer means there will be plenty more greenbacks coming his way to add to what is already a healthy bank balance.
What's more, McIlroy is very much his own man now. Rory McIlroy Inc – or RMI, as it is known – is a global brand that already endorses business giants such as Nike, Omega and Bose, and he has wiped the slate clean as far as giving commission to others is concerned. From here on in, he can do it his own way. It's what he wanted.
More than anything, though, McIlroy will want to focus on his main job.
Playing golf is what the 25-year-old does better than anyone else in the world and, in case it has been forgotten, a trip to the US Masters in April could see him touch greatness as he seeks to become just the sixth man in the modern era of professional golf to claim a career grand slam.
Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Gene Sarazen and Gary Player are the only players to have won all four of the modern Major titles. McIlroy has just one piece of the jigsaw left to fall into place: a green jacket.
Rather than scheduled time in the witness box, McIlroy will likely spend the coming weeks in Jupiter, Florida, where he has a luxury 1,400 sq m, $10-million mansion to call home.
In time, he will probably clink a beer glass or two with his friend Brooks Koepka, winner of the Phoenix Open on the PGA Tour last week, but his focus will very much be on preparing for that date with destiny at the Masters.
It was McIlroy who initiated legal proceedings against Horizon. Yet it was an indication of his capacity to put such matters to one side that, through it all, he assumed the role of golf’s dominant player.
In 2014, he won four big titles – starting with the European Tour's flagship tournament, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, then adding the British Open, the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the US PGA – to return to number one in the world rankings.
He has been top of those world rankings since last August and is likely to remain there for a considerable time, given the gap he has established over the second-ranked Henrik Stenson.
McIlroy has a busy year ahead, with that quest for the green jacket at Augusta National in April his priority. After that, he has the Irish Open on what is effectively home turf at Royal County Down, a tournament he is hosting through his charity, the Rory Foundation.
Back on the Major front, he will target the US Open at Chambers Bay, outside Seattle, in June; the British Open at St Andrews in July; and the US PGA at Whistling Straits in August. In other words, life goes on for McIlroy . . . where he can let his clubs do the talking on the golf course.
