Niall Horan setting up golf agency - report

One Direction star Niall Horan is indulging his love of golf by reportedly setting up a sports management agency.

The Irish pop star is taking a lengthy break from the band, and a U.K. report suggests he is planning to keep busy during the hiatus by creating his own golf agency to nurture new talent.

Niall, who is a keen golfer, has already taken the first steps to set up the company, Modest Golf Management, which will be a joint venture with One Direction's management agency Modest, according to Britain's The Sun newspaper.

"It's well known Niall loves golf and has been learning from the best..." a source tells the publication. "Now he wants to discover exciting new players and give them his backing."

Niall previously caddied for fellow Irish star Rory McIlroy at a pre-Masters event in Georgia last April (15) and also took part in the PGA Championship Celebrity Pro-Am in Wentworth, England along with the golfer and British soccer stars Phil Neville and Paul Scholes.

Rory revealed he first met Niall in Australia in 2014, and was happy to invite him to carry his clubs during the Masters Par 3 contest ahead of the 2015 Masters Tournament. However, his big day was marred when he slipped and fell over on live TV.

"We met in Australia at the end of last year and he was saying he had never been to The Masters," Rory explained. "I said if you're available on the Wednesday you're more than welcome to carry the bag. Niall's really excited."

Niall previously admitted he fears his love of golf makes him a dull pop star, declaring, "I'm not very daring, I'm all about a gentle game of golf. I'm actually quite boring and probably the worst pop star that ever walked the planet."

One Direction went on hiatus late last year (15), and the singers are all reportedly pursuing different projects during their time off. Harry Styles and Liam Payne are both rumoured to be launching solo music careers, and Louis Tomlinson is busy being a first-time father after Los Angeles-based stylist Briana Jungwirth gave birth to his son, Freddie, last month (Jan16).