Dad comes to the rescue for McIlroy
HE PUT a putter into his son’s hands when he was just a toddler and Gerry McIlroy appeared yesterday to have played an instrumental role again in resolving the bitter legal battle involving the world’s No 1 golfer.
Rory McIlroy agreed to pay a reported NZ$40 million, plus legal costs of $8m, to his former management company hours before the start of an eight-week trial that would have revealed details of his finances.
The Northern Irish golfer had appeared confident and in the mood for a legal fight when he arrived at Dublin’s High Court a day earlier for the expected start of the trial.
Negotiations continued throughout the day but there was no settlement until Gerry McIlroy arrived at the court at 5pm. Four hours later the father and son left with a deal in place.
They did not return yesterday to witness Conor Ridge, the player’s former agent, being congratulated by his legal team and friends.
Details of the settlement are confidential but a source said that McIlroy had agreed to pay Ridge’s Horizon Sports Management a settlement ‘‘far north’’ of $33m.
Although McIlroy’s pride will be bruised he will have no difficulties paying the bill as one of the world’s top earning sportsmen and can now concentrate on winning the US Masters in April to secure a full set of major championship successes at the age of just 25.
He owes his career to his father, himself a talented golfer, who worked 100 hours a week to fund his son’s dream of becoming a profes- sional player. When McIlroy won the US Open on Father’s Day in 2011 the pair embraced on the 18th hole, and when he collected the winner’s cup he turned to his father and said: ‘‘Dad – this one’s for you.’’
Gerry McIlroy had placed a $400 bet at odds of 500-1 in 2004 that his son would win The Open within a decade and Ladbrokes paid out $200,000 when he clinched the title last summer.
McIlroy had sued Horizon over what he described as an ‘‘unconscionable’’ contract he had signed in 2011 at the firm’s Christmas party. He signed a second contract in March 2013 but left six months later to set up his own management company run by his father and a former Horizon consultant.
Horizon counter-sued and claimed compensation, highlighting its work for the golfer, including negotiating a $135m, five-year sponsorship agreement with Nike and other deals.
The legal battle, which has dragged on for a year, ended during a two-minute hearing when Paul Gallagher, SC, the golfer’s barrister, told the court: ‘‘The entire matter has been resolved.’’