One Direction star Niall Horan to caddy for Rory McIlroy at Masters 2015 warm-up

He is one fourth of the biggest boyband on the planet but it looks like Niall Horan could soon be taking his career in a new direction.

The 21-year-old pop star is preparing to caddy for Rory McIlroy, the top-ranking golfer in the world, at a Masters warm up in Augusta, Georgia on Wednesday (8 April).

Horan confirmed that he would be carrying his pal's clubs during the Par 3 Contest – a relaxed, nine-hole round that is played on the eve of the Masters tournament – on social media by retweeting a post from the official Masters Twitter page.

The heartthrob will take over from McIlroy's former girlfriend tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, who had his bag for the 2014 tournament, and is expected to be kitted out in a white jumpsuit.

"He's been excited to come here," the 25-year-old golf pro told ESPN . "He's never been to the Masters. I caught up with him in Australia at the end of last year and he was really excited, and I said, 'If you're available Wednesday afternoon and you want to carry the bag for nine holes, you're more than welcome.'"

This will not be the What Makes You Beautiful hitmaker's first golfing experience. He is an honorary life member of Mullingar Golf Club back home in Ireland.

Horan's caddy gig will be a welcome distraction in the wake of Zayn Malik's shock exit from One Direction.

Bradford-born Malik quit the British boyband on 25 March, claiming that he wanted to feel like a "normal 22-year-old" and had grown tired of 1D's fame.

In his departing statement he said: "I'd like to apologise to the fans if I've let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart. I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight.

One Direction are on a two-month break from their On The Road Again tour, which will continue in Europe in June.