Rory McIlroy’s status as one of the most marketable individuals in global sport was confirmed as the Northern Irishman signed a $100 million deal with TaylorMade to use the firm’s clubs, ball and golf bag for the next decade.
He had been without an equipment contract since the end of last year, when Nike announced it was to withdraw from that market. However, he will continue to wear Nike clothes, according to a $200 million deal. The 28-year-old is due to play in the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, which starts on Thursday.
Commentating on his deal with TaylorMade, McIlroy said: “I came to the conclusion that this was the best way forward for me to try and improve, try to win more, try to get back to world number one, try to win more majors.”
He joins high-profile golfers such as world number one Dustin Johnson, Masters champion Sergio Garcia and Olympic champion Justin Rose in using TaylorMade clubs. It may be that TaylorMade is more attractive as a business proposition with such marquee names on its roster, amid reports that adidas is looking to sell that wing of its operation.
This story first appeared in the blog, The Sport Intern. The editor is Karl-Heinz Huba of Lorsch, Germany. He can be reached at ISMG@aol.com. The article is reprinted here with permission of Huba