World No. 1 Rory McIlroy is back on the practice range but it’s the PGA Tour rather than cash-strapped Europe ready to milk McIlroy’s enormous sponsorship magnetism.
McIlroy debuted his new Nike clubs for a first time yesterday (MON) at the Els Club in Dubai where he will spend the week working with coach, Michael Bannon and fellow Northern Ireland pro, Mark Parsons who is based at the UAE club.
Then next Monday night in Abu Dhabi, McIlroy will step out onto what should be a glitter-lined stage to finally formalise his wearing a Nike swoosh in a reputed $200m deal.
However while the European Tour then gears up for the Battle of the Giants, as the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is being billed, it will be the PGA Tour’s CEO Tim Finchem holding most of the sponsorship and TV bargaining chips.
PGA Tour Commissioner, Tim Finchem ‘praying’ World No. 1 Rory McIlroy will drive Tour sponsorship forward over the next five years. (Photo – www.golffile.ie)
“Last year the PGA Tour had an incredibly strong year and it was like everything just came together and the fact Rory advanced a couple of levels in his career and continued demonstrating he’s got the capability to this juxtaposition that he can match it with the better players like Tiger was the key factor in helping the PGA Tour have the great season we had,” said Finchem.“And part of that, and when a guy takes on the mantra or the identity level Rory’s taken on, it has a ripple effect heading into the future.”
For the past 16 years the PGA Tour has reaped the rewards of Woods’ winning ways.
With McIlroy, the PGA has a new cash-cow and while much of Europe remains cash-strapped, Finchem will milk McIlroy’s magnetism as best the Tour can.
“By doing all that Rory conjures up in the minds of the people making the decisions about what is going to happen next year, five years from now arrangements with sponsors, tournament officials and so on that it gives us more strength in our conversations with those people to strengthen our Tour,” added Finchem.
“I always said of Tiger that when he first came onto the Tour in late 1996 his biggest contribution was going to be stuff to see 10, 15 and 20 years in the future.
“We’ve seen the physicality and athleticism of the players now is so much better than it was.
“As regards to Rory, it might be a little early to say this, but he has potential if he can be consistent enough and win enough, and that’s the next question, how far can he go?
“As an individual, Rory stirs the imagination of all people and the amazing thing about Rory is that he’s like Tiger in a sense in that he we saw in the Play-Offs he clearly did not play well as he had on the Saturday, but he can absorb that bad round and bounce back and do what he needs to do to win.
“There’s not many players who can do that.
“So I certainly think Rory has the potential given his personality and how well grounded he is, and how good he is that he can have the long term profound effects on the game because he has the potential to be around a long time.”
But Finchem indicated also it’s not just the increased dollars and cents McIlroy can bring to the PGA Tour but he confessed he admires the young 23-year old as an individual.
“First of image of all and from an image standpoint, I like the way Rory handles himself off the golf course,” said Finchem.
“I notice also when he’s asked questions by the media he is clearly focussed on who’s listening.
“He’s complimentary. He’s polite and when he speaks there is always a message in there that has real impact.
“He’s smart, very smart.
“If he stopped right now he would have been a tremendous story in the history of golf but he’s got all those years out there and if he continues to handle himself the way he does now that will be, and aside the excitement and the interest and the competition he brings to golf, a fairly significant asset to the image of the game.
“That is our biggest asset the image of the game and close finishes in the Play-Offs and those of the two main things. If we’ve got those two things we can’t do much wrong.”
