Currently, the world number 1 golfer in the world according to the PGA Tour world rankings, Rory McIlroy has by far and away, endured his toughest season to date, and his struggling to hold down his place at the top of the tree in the standings.
When he burst onto the scene and turned pro in 2007, people were ranting and raving about this kid, and said that he was the next big thing to spring out of the golfing world. He helped the European team win the Junior Ryder Cup in 2004, and during that period, also won a string of tournaments to add to his promising accolade.
When amateur in the 2007 era, more people knew who he was by the end of the Open Championship in Carnoustie, after carding a bogey free last round, and winning the Silver Medal, which is won by the leading amateur at the end of the tournament.
By 2009, he excelled himself into the top 50 after finishing well in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and the HSBC Hong Kong Open, and his first victory on the PGA Tour in the Dubai Desert Classic, after beating well renowned Englishman, Justin Rose in a tight play-off. After this fantastic achievement, the Ulsterman was now considered a top 10 golfer in the rankings, and was the first 20 year old, other than Spanish ball striking sensation Sergio Garcia, to reach this magnificent milestone.
His only major slump was the 2011 Masters Championship, when leading the first three rounds, fell in the final round after carding a miserable 80, and putting out of contention to be the youngest player to win a major tournament after Tiger Woods. However, this was soon forgotten, when in 2012, blitzed the field in the US Open at Congressional, when his major tournament drought was over, and claimed his first major win.
Nevertheless, all of these fantastic achievements and victories have come under the famous golf manufacturer and sponsor, Titliest, where he was sponsored and supplied with equipment even when he was an amateur.
Now, under the even more famous brand, Nike, where he joins a partnership with his all time golfing hero and golfing great, Tiger Woods, and is on a multi million pound deal, earning £77million over a five year period (earning £31,000 a day), surely he has not just joined Nike for a brand new set of clubs!
His start at Nike has not been the greatest, notably when he walked out of the field at the Honda Classic, claiming he was not in the right frame of mind. As you can clearly see, McIlroy had no reason to leave Titliest and may have even progressed into a better golfer and win more major titles. Now with Nike, it looks as though he is being used as a marketing and promotional tool with Woods, who caused one of the most controversial talking points in this era, off of the golf course, and may have scuppered his chances of remaining with Nike. Let’s just hope McIlroy does not get dragged into any controversy under the Nike name, which will hinder his exciting prosperous future.
jack pinnock 