McIlroy’s Grand Slam Winning Attraction Set To Re-Energise Golf Worldwide

5 months ago by Comments Off on McIlroy’s Grand Slam Winning Attraction Set To Re-Energise Golf Worldwide

They were the best of golf reporting times – Tiger Woods competing around around the globe.

Woods was winning major championship titles but he was also travelling to far off destinations helping to promote golf and while he was being paid enormous sums, he would tee-up in far off desitations such as Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, China, Japan, Turkey, Dubai, The Bahamas and Spain attracting record-breaking crowds and all the time boosing participation on the ancient club-and-ball game.

It is something that Rory McIlroy had copied in his now similar Grand Slam winning career by also accepting invitations to tee-up around the globe including tournaments in Australia, Singapore, South Korea, The Bahamas, UAE and more recently in New Zealand abliet his visit to the Land of the Long White Clouds a ‘mates trip’.

Most recently, we’ve learnt McIlroy will be contesting both the 2025 and 2026 Australian Open titles while it was earlier this week organisers confirmed McIlroy will be competing in India for a first occasion in his career.

Though sadly in writing these introductory paragraphs it is easy to write that current World No. 1 Scottie Schefffler has completely ignored any moves to travel outside of PGA Tour sanctioned events.  Yes, Scheffler is a new father but so too did Woods.

This jounalist was present at some many of these ‘overseas’ events where Woods competed included ending-up in a friendly Woods head-lock in a hotel bar area in China but that’s a another story.

However with Woods off the competing scene and there no chance of seeing Scheffler leave PGA Tour soil, DP World Tour and Ryder Cup Europe CEO Guy Kinnings believes McIlroy’s golfing skills and classy character can help golf grow even bigger again.

Speaking to the Business of Sport Podcast, Kinnings said: “I think golf’s got a huge opportunity to go completely global now. I was working in the business when Tiger came along and he transformed golf. To have the global sporting icon in the world in your sport, he’s done that. I think Rory’s about to do the same. First European ever to have the Grand Slam and he’s so articulate.

“He provided us at the Masters with one of the magic moments in sport. The moment when he finished it off, it was an unbelievable moment for golf, but for European golf, global golf, it was amazing. And it was done kind of the Rory way. Heart in mouth, but he got it done and I do think that presents the sport with a huge opportunity. I really do.

“What you have in Rory, and that’s why we’re so fortunate, is you have someone who plays in a way that totally appeals to people. People can engage with it because it’s human. And you can see that. And that moment when he fell to his knees, I mean, I’ve done this for 35 years, I had tears in my eyes. It was unbelievable.

Rory McIlroy and DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings (Image Getty)

“So what he does is he appeals on a human level. He’s also very articulate. Extremely confident businessman. He is involved in the sport on lots of different levels. He speaks infinitely better than I ever could about the sport, so he’s a great spokesman. He’s young enough now to take the game around the world.

“He’s always travelled. Tiger travelled. So when he plays in a tournament, he’ll transform it. If he goes to a market that we’re looking to expand in for the sport of golf, having a superstar like that going there attracts interest. Commercial, government interest, broadcast, content. All the ways that we can grow the sport because golf has to shake off some preconceptions and I think it’s doing that right now.

“At the moment, all the figures are showing people are coming to the game. We kind of came out of a tough time with COVID and people have found they were drawn to golf because it’s the most naturally socially distant sport there is.

“The sport came out stronger and we refined what we did. And we made a good product, but now he’s able to take it, I think, to an all-new level because you had only the sixth guy ever to have the Grand Slam, which is an extraordinary achievement to win all of the four majors. The first European to do that. I think it gives him a platform to take the game, and when he goes, he will also understand his responsibility. and speak in a way that will help elevate the sport in that region. We’re very lucky.

“I mean, Rory is an unbelievable supporter of our tour. We have rules, you have to play a minimum number. He plays way more than that and, when he comes to a tournament, he adds extraordinary focus and glamour. “I’ve seen the game go through what has been a couple of eras. We may be going into a new one

“So we originally had the big three. My boss at IMG Mark McCormack signed the sort of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player. And that was amazing. That brought golf to the global attention. We then had the Woods era. In Europe, we had a big five of Europeans, but Tiger transformed the game.

“He was almost perfect in every way for what we needed in golf because he took the game, not just geographically, he took it globally, he took it to new demographics and he also played in a way that was unbelievably exciting. You always look at what makes a sport really, really appealing. It’s either fierce, incredibly close rivalries, or it is one single, utterly dominant player. And Tiger was that single, utterly dominant player. I’d sit there watching what he did and the effect he had and he transformed, commercially, for broadcasters, everything.

“There was an interest in the game that we’d never had before. He transformed the sport. He really did. And he still has a huge influence. He’s playing an important role for the future of the game, as Rory will have an incredibly important role. So we are really lucky.”

 

 



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