What Rory McIlroy’s Nike Deal Means for His Rivalry with Tiger Woods

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: January 15, 2013

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So Tiger Woods now has a running mate as spokesmen for Nike.

A contract of multiple years in length and worth as much as $250 million or something much less than that. Such are the realities of rumors that have circulated around Rory McIlroy for months.

But really, do the number of years and the number of millions involved really matter? To McIlroy’s bank account it does, but to the golf world, what’s important is what does this deal mean on the course and, of course, what does it mean for the McIlroy-Woods rivalry everybody is pushing for?

Well, for starters, it means McIlroy’s bagful of new Nike sticks will create some added pressure for the 23-year-old No. 1 player in the world. With a budding bromance starting to warm up with Woods, not to mention that hoped-for rivalry for the ages with him, McIlroy’s plate seemed plenty full.

Now he’s got to find a way to make the transition from Titleist to Nike a quick one. There have been plenty big-name golfers who have made equipment changes through the years with disastrous results.

Remember Payne Stewart leaving Wilson to sign with Spalding in 1994? He finished 123rd on the money list the next year. Corey Pavin and Lee Janzen signed big equipment deals and struggled.

Nick Price was the leading moneywinner for two straight years and then switched from Ram to Atrigon. He fell to 30th in money won the next year and never finished higher than 17th again.

Advancements in technology and clubmaking make the chances of a big adjustment time being necessary for McIlroy so that really might not be much of an actual concern. There’s no doubt the young Irishman spent much more time testing Nike’s equipment, having it fine-tuned to meet his needs.

Even more importantly, now that McIlroy and Woods are in the same Nike stable the atmosphere is ripe for an acceleration of this rivalry. The dynamic duo ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Golf

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