Well one of the worst kept secrets in sports was made public today in Abu Dhabi where Rory McIlroy casually attired in jeans and a grey sweat top, but wearing his new trademark white Nike hat announced his new deal with the swoosh..
Although commercial terms were not disclosed, media reports say the agreement with the is worth as much as $250 million over 10 years, one of the most lucrative in global sports as Nike moves on after dropping disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong last year. Armstrong by the way is taping an interview today with Oprah, to air this Thursday, where he will admit to cheating.
McIlroy, 23, was previously sponsored by golf brand Titleist and as I wrote here last week other golfers have struggled to replicate their earlier success after switching to new equipment. However, McIlroy was full of confidence ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship which starts on Thursday.
"The new driver that I will play with this week is awesome," he told a news conference to announce his sponsorship. "As soon as I hit it I knew it was going in the bag straight away. I'm hitting it further - I thought I was hitting it far before, but this is really taking it to a new level."
He says he visited Nike's research and development facility in Fort Worth, Texas, in late 2012 to try out his new clubs and balls and has continued to practice over Christmas and New Year, and added the sponsorship deal was about improving his game rather than personal riches
"I play for titles, I don't play for money...If at the end of 2013 I haven't won a major I will be disappointed," said McIlroy, adding the new nice balls were more stable in the wind and he was now driving the ball at about 180 miles (290 kms) an hour
If what Rory says turns out to be true, it is surely not good news for the rest of his peers on as he sets out to defend the titles he won on both sides of the Atlantic, playing with his old clubs !!
BryanA
(notes from Reuters)
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