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Rory McIlroy To Nike?

Canadan said:
I'm pretty surprised.. Maybe it's being naive, but I expected him to remain with Titleist.
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I kind of do too. But the rumor seems more intense this year than in years past.
 
ddec said:
I kind of do too. But the rumor seems more intense this year than in years past.
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I just figured it was the same old thing.. Now, more entertainingly, which of the other major OEMs makes this interesting?!
 
Man this is huge, I really like the move, excited to see how it plays out.
 
Canadan said:
I just figured it was the same old thing.. Now, more entertainingly, which of the other major OEMs makes this interesting?!
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2 years ago it was pretty fun to follow. There seemed to be a lot of movement with some big names. Camillo to TM, Furyk to TM, GMAC to Srixon. It certainly was interesting.
 
It would be great to see a curveball and Rory to end up with someone else, just for the jaw dropping effect
 
Welcome to Callaway!

Why not?
 
ddec said:
2 years ago it was pretty fun to follow. There seemed to be a lot of movement with some big names. Camillo to TM, Furyk to TM, GMAC to Srixon. It certainly was interesting.
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I just played with Furyk on Sunday. He's a Titleist homer, and was wearing a pink Cross hat.

Or maybe it was just golfnut81. Solid swing change.
 
Titleist & Mclroy

Titleist & Mclroy

Titleist just released that they will not be renewing their contract with Rory.

So whose equipment will Rory be playing?
 
I think the club that affects Pros the most when they switch is the putter. I hope that this does not happen to Rory on his switch. I wonder if he will keep the SC.
 
Quite a few folks think he'll be playing Nike's equipment. Hence the rather large thread on Rory and Nike. I don't have a clue to be honest though, and it really isn't all that big of a deal to me.
 
Well, Since Titleist has an opening, I guess I would be willing to make the change for the right $. At least I would be proof that they can club fit anybody of any size!!
 
Well it looks like he won't be back with Titleist...

Rory McIlroy is officially a free agent when it comes to golf equipment.McIlroy and Acushnet Co., which has supplied the 23-year-old star from Northern Ireland with Titleist and FootJoy gear since he turned pro five years ago, said on Tuesday they will not extend their relationship after this year.
The announcement allows McIlroy to pursue a lucrative endorsement contract, with strong indications that he will sign with Nike in a deal that one industry observer estimated at $20 million a year. That would give Nike golf's two biggest stars in McIlroy and Tiger Woods, who has been with the swoosh since he turned pro in 1996.
McIlroy has established himself as the No. 1 player in the world this year, when he won four times and captured the U.S. PGA Championship at Kiawah, giving him eight-shot wins in two major championships. He won the U.S. PGA Tour money title, and is closing in on winning the European Tour money title.
This is the second time in the last 10 years that Acushnet, which has a history of fiscal prudence, has not stood in the way of a No. 1 player going after big money. Woods, who had an equipment deal with Titleist when he turned pro, left for the Nike golf ball in 2000 and then the Nike golf clubs in 2002.
Phil Mickelson won his first Masters with Titleist in 2004, and the Fairhaven, Massachusetts, company let him out of his contract later that summer to sign a lucrative deal with Callaway.
"Our goal has been to provide Rory with the best equipment and service that would help him be the best player he could possibly be," Acushnet chief executive Wally Uihlein said in a statement. "He has been a great ambassador for the Titleist and FootJoy brands, and in turn, we are proud of how our equipment has contributed to his success. We wish Rory all the best, both personally and professionally, going forward."
McIlroy, who defeated Woods in an 18-hole exhibition in China on Monday, thanked the Acushnet staff for "five very exciting and successful years."
"I will always appreciate the contribution Titleist has made in helping me become the player I am today," McIlroy said.
Not since Woods has a player had this much potential at such a young age. McIlroy was 19 when he won the Dubai Desert Classic for his first win as a pro, and he followed that with a 62 in the final round to win at Quail Hollow for his first U.S. PGA Tour win.
McIlroy shattered U.S. Open scoring records last summer at Congressional to win by eight shots, and when he won his second major at Kiawah Island in August, he became the youngest player since Seve Ballesteros in 1980 with two majors. Only five players have won majors by at least eight shots since 1976 — three by Woods, two by McIlroy.
They have become friends in recent months. They were in the same group five times during the FedEx Cup playoffs, and the conversation came easily. That led to the 18-hole exhibition on Monday, the first time Woods has agreed to a head-to-head match since the old "Battle at Bighorn" days against Sergio Garcia.
McIlroy won by one. Walking off the fourth hole, McIlroy even took one of Woods' Nike clubs and took a few practice swings.
Now, it appears likely both will be using the same equipment next year.
"We are declining comment on rumors and speculation," Nike spokeswoman Beth Gast said.
McIlroy is not playing the HSBC Champions this week in China. He will close out his European Tour season starting the following week with the Singapore Open, the Hong Kong Open and the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. He would have two months until his next tournament in Abu Dhabi, giving him time to test new equipment.
McIlroy has gone through a series of changes since winning his first major last year. He left agent Chubby Chandler a year ago and signed with Conor Ridge of Irish-based Horizon Sports Management. He took up membership on the U.S. tour, where he is certain to be voted player of the year. Changing the very tools he uses will be the biggest change of all.
Still to be determined is how any deal with Nike would affect the rest of McIlroy's deals. He has endorsements with Jumeirah Estates, Oakley, Audemares Piguet and Santander bank. Nike typically prefers a clean look for its athletes, with rare exception. Woods and Anthony Kim had separate endorsements for their golf bags.
Even as McIlroy was being courted by other companies, Titleist did not put up a big fight. The company has a history of putting the brand before the player, as it did with Woods, Mickelson, David Duval after he reached No. 1 in the world and Garcia.
It prides itself on having the most tour players use its golf ball, though it also has some 80 players around the world under contract to use its golf balls and clubs. This year might have been particularly costly, however, especially with incentive clauses in the contracts. It had six players from the top 16 in the world as full staff players — McIlroy, Adam Scott, U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson, Jason Dufner, Steve Stricker and Nick Watney.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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That says it all. No Titleist has got to mean Nike with all the rumors flying around.
 
Does anyone have an idea as to when Callaway will release the identity of Player X. Maybe JB has a thought?
 
I love that David Duval got mentioned in that article. Proof as always kids....DD is wicked!

I'm not shocked by this but it really is huge news. The age old saying "where there's smoke...there's fire" comes through again. We've been speculating this for a long time. Now....will he end up with Nike? I assume yes, but until it's official you just never know.
 
Puttin4Bird said:
I love that David Duval got mentioned in that article. Proof as always kids....DD is wicked!

I'm not shocked by this but it really is huge news. The age old saying "where there's smoke...there's fire" comes through again. We've been speculating this for a long time. Now....will he end up with Nike? I assume yes, but until it's official you just never know.
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long live DD!
 
images

Nike pays you HOW much??
 
ddec said:
long live DD!
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There are people reading these articles saying....who, David Duval? Why would we care about him?

Any other guesses besides Nike Deano? I think it would be cool to see Callaway land him but I think that with the deepest pockets Nike will win out.
 
I have read that he was spotted at The Oven.

Edit: But then again, so was Scotty Cameron
 
Puttin4Bird said:
There are people reading these articles saying....who, David Duval? Why would we care about him?

Any other guesses besides Nike Deano? I think it would be cool to see Callaway land him but I think that with the deepest pockets Nike will win out.
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I think the only other one that could make a play would be TM, that's just me though. I think it'll be Nike in the end.
 
Puttin4Bird said:
There are people reading these articles saying....who, David Duval? Why would we care about him?

Any other guesses besides Nike Deano? I think it would be cool to see Callaway land him but I think that with the deepest pockets Nike will win out.
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Callaway could land him. That would certainly give them the exciting young player. I don't think they will match the potential money that Nike can offer. Imagine him with Cobra? Rory and Rickie together. Man that would certainly hype up that company even more.
 
ddec said:
Callaway could land him. That would certainly give them the exciting young player. I don't think they will match the potential money that Nike can offer. Imagine him with Cobra? Rory and Rickie together. Man that would certainly hype up that company even more.
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I have a hard time seeing him with Cobra. He is not really the target market that they are going after now. He is more of a classic player.
 
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