GOLF: IN THE year that is in it, the comparison of Rory McIlroy with the recently deceased Seve Ballesteros is somehow appropriate. A supernova only comes along so rarely.
And, in making that association, Chubby Chandler – McIlroy’s manager at International Sports Management – believes that the new US Open champion transcends all boundaries: “I think he is going to be worldwide in popularity. Seve was Spanish but he was everybody’s; Rory is Irish but everyone takes to him.”
In fact, the commercial world is his oyster with his timing as a major champion – and his global appeal to golf fans and sponsors alike – seemingly perfect. With the void created by Woods’s absence from the sport, the latest due to injury, golf is crying out for a new superstar and role model. And the 22-year-old Ulsterman ticks virtually every single box: clean-cut, exuberant, young and, perhaps most pertinent of all, a grace, on and off the course, that exudes class.
For his part, Chandler observed: “I think Rory is a pretty good figurehead for the game right now. Golf’s great strength is there is a really good era about to happen.” The style of McIlroy’s record-breaking victory at Congressional Country Club – and the prospect that it is only the start of an odyssey in the majors that looks destined for him to win multiples of the elite championships – makes him one of the most saleable commodities in the sporting world, with marketing strategists predicting that he has the potential to match the earning power of Woods, Michael Schumacher and Roger Federer at their prime.
“If he was to dominate golf, like he could for a number of years, he could get up towards the $1 billion mark,” said Nigel Currie, director of sports marketing with UK agency Brand Rapport, adding: “He is so young and a precocious talent. The youthfulness gives him a unique factor and he comes across very well.”
Indeed, Steve Martin, the chief executive of MC Saatchi Sport Entertainment, predicted “scary” numbers for McIlroy’s earning power. “Over the next 10 years, he is going to be the 100 million man – not dollars, pounds,” said Martin.
He added: “Up until (Sunday night), Rory McIlroy was always an amazing young golfer. Now, he is an amazing superstar sportsman and the potential to double his earnings is very, very realistic. His appeal is unusual because he is so young and he has broken all those records and Irishmen in America go down very well. He has got everything in his locker – youth, he handles everything well, he smiles, he is engaging to listen to and he is incredibly aspirational for young kids. He really has the full package.”
McIlroy already has an impressive collection of blue chip sponsors, among them EA Sports (he has featured on the new Tiger Woods PGA Tour PlayStation and X-Box games) , Titleist (clubs and balls), Oakley (sunglasses and clothing), Audemars Piguet (watches), Jumeirah Group (Middle East luxury hospitality), Lough Erne Resort (five-star resort in Co Fermanagh), FootJoy (shoes), Skins (compressed sport clothing), Sunseeker (speed boats) and Trion:Z (ionic bracelets).
Chandler, who signed McIlroy into his stable – which also includes current major champions Louis Osthuizen and Charl Schwartzel – three years ago when the player turned professional after the Walker Cup, said McIlroy’s elevation to a major winner “will make a big difference” to his value but also pointed out that “a lot of sponsors paid for the potential for what he had (in their original deals). They have not come cheap.” In fact, there were bonus clauses written into four of the contracts should McIlroy win a major which have obviously now all kicked-in as the Northern Irishman soaks in the reality of his record-breaking win and new status.
“There is not an awful lot that will happen straight away and we have actually batted back a few things to take stock of where we are,” add Chandler.
It is believed that a couple of clothing companies – not Nike – have approached ISM to “clean up the logos,” which would basically mean buying out the existing sponsorships on his apparel. That is not going to happen in the immediate short term as, for example, his contract with Audemars Piguet – the luxury watch manufacturer with whom he fulfilled a corporate engagement in Massachusetts yesterday – runs until 2014 and he only signed a new three-year deal with the Dubai-based Jumeriah Group last year.
McIlroy – who collected a €978,362 winner’s cheque and moved to third in the European Tour’s Race to Dubai standings – will leave financial dealings and sponsorship deals to ISM. As he put it, “it’s nice to play for a lot of money week in and week out.
“We’re very fortunate we can do that. But the thing about these major championships is the history, the prestige and just to be able to add your name to a list like Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer . . . that’s the most satisfying thing about it.”
