Why New Clubs and Balls Make 2013 a Big Question Mark for Rory McIlroy

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: January 7, 2013

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Rory McIlroy, 23, easily golf’s most promising young talent, has played Titleist clubs and balls for the entirety of his five years as a professional golfer.

Although it hasn’t been officially announced by the marketing mavens at Nike, McIlroy has reportedly signed a $200 million-plus endorsement deal with the company, and Titleist confirmed months ago that McIlroy would no longer be a Titleist staffer at the end of 2012.

Coming off a year in which he won a major championship and recorded four victories, the only question about Rory McIlroy’s 2013 season should have been, “How many tournaments is he going to win?" 

Instead, McIlroy has been seduced by dollars—and undoubtedly the appeal of the Nike superbrand—and has raised questions about the effect of new equipment on his performance and the sensibility of the decision to switch now.


If it Ain’t Broke...

Doug Ferguson points out that no other World No. 1 has ever made all-encompassing equipment changes so early in his career. Not only is there no precedent for what McIlroy is doing, there’s absolutely no need for the change. Both these facts should give the golfer pause.

I doubt many in the golf industry would make the case that Nike is producing objectively better equipment than Titleist. Given this, there is no material benefit to switching to Nike beyond money in McIlroy’s pocket.

However, if McIlroy is more concerned about money than winning, he should consider that the best way to continue making piles of endorsement money is to continue winning, which is most easily accomplished while sticking to his proven equipment, rather than making a radical change.

The constituent parts of his approach to tournament golf at present are all working. Upsetting the current order will not help him win golf tournaments and will be a hurdle—either major or minor—and there’s n...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Golf

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