Rory McIlroy’s dramatic Masters collaspe has cost the crestfallen Holywood starlet a cool $US 10m.
For three days, the golf world marvelled that McIlroy is on 21. But then on Sunday, we were cruelly reminded. He’s only still 21.
McIlroy's four round scores spoilt by back nine on Sunday.
But McIlroy’s collaspe in shooting a last round 80 not only meant losing the $1,440,000 first prize cheque. It’s seen McIlroy blow a whole bank load of bonuses in leading the third round by four but losing over the last day by nine.
80 - McIlroy's second eight over score in the last three Majors
Written into his ISM contract, as with all players managed by ‘Chubby’ Chandler is various bonuses.
There is a bonus for winning a first tournament, a bonus for Race to Dubai placings, bonuses for your world ranking and a huge bonus if you win a Major Championship.
Just as Louis Oosthuizen did last year in winning the British Open, so too is ISM going to benefit for this year’s Masters triumph.
The only downturn for European fans was the golfer Chandler everyone expected to embrace at the back of the 18th last Sunday was not McIlroy but Charl Schwartzel.
Just as Oosthuizen is doing, Schwartzel will earn ISM enormous appearance fee payouts and other monetary niceties as 2011 Augusta National champion.
McIlroy’s prize cheque on Sunday Euro 89,928 that’s seen him move to sixth on the Race to Dubai and that’s a Euro 1m difference between he and Schwartzel who now leads.
“The South Africans are pretty solid people, and don’t forget how many times Charl’s won, nine times,” said Chandler when asked the difference between McIlroy and Schwartzel.
“Charl’s also been a pro nine years and that’s what he’s got over Rory. A bit more experience, a bit more winning experience.
“Charl is different, and he’s a bit older, as well.”
McIlroy’s Masters meltdown prompted whether he would bail out of playing in steamy Malaysia but Chandler insisted he would honour his commitment.
ISM has a lot invested in Schwartzel, McIlroy and Louis Oosthuizen, who’s also competing in K.L, plus there’s the issue of appearance money to bolster the coffers of the Manchester-based company.
But Chandler has promised an inquest into McIlroy’s meltdown, and it will be sooner rather than later, and this week in the Malaysian capital.
“He’s still going to Malaysia and we’ll sit down with him and work out where he thinks things went wrong, and where I think he went wrong,” said Chandler.
“I yet haven’t given it a lot of thought where Rory went wrong because he was in pretty good shape.
“He was a little bit more jumpy Sunday morning but he was unbelievably clam all week.”
Chandler’s long talked of the need to establish ‘life after Tiger’ in golf, and how good it would be if McIlroy were to win a Major.
But then Eugene Fayne, President of the Irish Golf Union soberly remarked on Sunday morning after being asked about McIlroy completing the ‘Irish Grand Slam’.
“Let’s now be printing the T-shirts just yet,” said Fayne.
Fatiha Betscher, Crail, Scotland
