Following the most disappointing season of his still-young career, Rory McIlroy is trying to take more control. He announced the launch of his own management company on Friday.
Rory McIlroy Inc. will serve as the Northern Irishman’s third such agency in three years. He started his professional career with International Sports Management, but left for Horizon Sports late in 2011. Horizon was none too pleased about McIlroy’s departure this week.
“Rory’s decision to see a termination of the management contract with Horizon is now regrettably in the hands of legal advisors,” the company said in a statement.
Horizon helped McIlroy, 24, land a lucrative deal with Nike before the 2013 season – some reports saying $20 million per year – but a switch to Nike clubs was a big target for detractors to point to in explaining McIlroy’s precipitous fall. He won four PGA Tour events in 2012, including the PGA Championship, his second major.
But McIlroy didn’t win a single event this year and failed to make the Tour Championship, which takes the top 30 players in the FedExCup standings. McIlroy was 49th.
RMI will be run by Donal Casey, who formerly worked for Horizon Sports, while Barry Funston, a businessman and McIlroy family friend, will take over The Rory Foundation. Those two men will join McIlroy’s father, Gerry, on the Rory McIlroy Inc. board.
Here’s hoping this move helps McIlroy get back to the top of his game. A game that produced this:
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