Common sense has prevailed with the Dublin High Court showdown between World No. 1 Rory McIlroy and his former management company, Horizon Sports settled out of court.

A statement was issued at 11.05am local time Dublin today (Wed) saying simply:-

“The legal dispute between Rory McIlroy and Horizon Sports Management has been settled to the satisfaction of both parties who wish each other well for the future.

“The parties will be making no further comment.”

The out-of-court decision now allows McIlroy to head back to the States and begin concentrating on his quest to win April’s Masters and also become just the sixth golfer in history to hold all four Major Championship titles.

As well, the decision protects messy details of the dispute being dragged all the front pages of newspapers and something that McIlroy clearly did not want to transpire.

The decision also will sure to make Conor Ridge, as head of Horizon Sports Management, a very wealthy man.

Rory McIlroy with Conor Ridge in happier times – on a visit to the White House.

McIlroy was not in court in Dublin when the settlement was announced, although he did appear briefly on Tuesday.

The golfer had complained that fees charged by Horizon were excessive. The Dublin firm counter-sued for outstanding fees, alleging breaches of contract.

In the briefest of hearings today, McIlroy’s senior counsel Paul Gallagher stated the case had been settled.

The Ireland High Court judge, Brian Cregan, congratulated both parties wishing them success for the future.

The settlement comes after intense talks on Tuesday to hammer out the deal.

Horizon’s Conor Ridge was in court and could be seen breathing a big sigh of relief when the case was officially settled.

The terms of the settlement were not detailed in court.

And www.golfbytourmiss.com has it on good authority that amount could be as much as Euro 25m.

Now McIlroy can return to the States without the distraction of what was looking like at least a few weeks in the witness box.