Rory McIlroy "spent the past few days doing what he does best -- winning," according to Vincent Boland of the FINANCIAL TIMES. For the next few days, though, "his surroundings will be chilly Dublin, and the grand if rather grey interior of the Irish High Court." McIlroy has had a "bitter falling-out with Horizon Sports Management, his former agents." He joined them in late '11, and walked away 18 months later, arguing that the terms of his contract were "unconscionable," and took "unfair advantage of his youth and naivety." He is suing Horizon in the High Court, claiming among other things that his contract compared unfavorably with "others in their stable." Horizon is "counter-claiming for unpaid commissions and fees." It is a "legal showdown the sedate world of golf wishes was not happening." It offers the "rare prospect of a peek into the finances and perhaps the lifestyle of a sports star." It promises to reveal the secrets of one of the "most lucrative sponsorships in professional sport." At stake are the reputations of a "popular boy-next-door sportsman, and a start-up sports agency that was building its business around him." One aspect of the case between McIlroy and Horizon is a sponsorship deal worth a reported $100M that the agency negotiated for its client with Nike. According to one person familiar with the legal case, "it may be the third biggest endorsement contract Nike has signed with a sporting figure" (FT, 2/2). REUTERS' Michael Hann reported McIlroy said before last week's Dubai Desert Classic that he would have to do his "homework" on a "very tedious and nasty process." McIlroy won the Dubai Desert Classic title by three shots on Sunday. He said afterward, "Let me enjoy this win for an hour or two. It's not the best thing to be looking forward to, but it will be all over in a few weeks" (REUTERS, 2/3).
