A breakdown of Rory McIlroy's contracts and fees to Horizon Sports
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A breakdown of Rory McIlroy’s contracts and fees to Horizon Sports

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To get out of his contract with now-former agents at Horizon Sports Management, Rory McIlroy is being forced to lay out a lot of once-private information on the table -- in particular, how much he is banking from sponsorship deals with Nike Golf, Omega, Santander and Bose.

McIlroy's lawyers filed a 350-page Statement of Claim with the Irish High Court last Friday ahead of a Monday hearing that pushed the civil and counter-civil action between the two parties in the system's Commercial Court, created for seven-figure lawsuits like these.

In that Statement of Claim, obtained and analyzed by Irish Golf Desk, several key facts behind the case (as McIlroy sees them) are revealed:

  • McIlroy signed a three-year with Horizon Sports Management in December 2011, reportedly at the Dublin firm's Christmas party in what McIlroy claims was an "informal" setting, not made privy of the exact terms of the deal
  • Court documents suggest McIlroy stands to earn approximately 129 million Euro from the start of 2013 through 2017, including approximately $20 million per year from Nike Golf
  • That money is all guaranteed to McIlroy, regardless of how he performs on the golf course, and he can earn more based on performance
  • Horizon claims McIlroy was making in the area of $13 million per year when with Chubby Chandler's International Sports Management, his prior representation
  • Horizon claims a 20 percent commission on those contracts they negotiated, while McIlroy says the fee should be approximately one-third that amount
  • The deal was extended by another three years to 2017 just weeks after the 2013 Honda Classic, from which McIlroy withdrew suddenly, citing not being "in a good place mentally" before coming up with the cover of a toothache

The case will not be heard in Irish Commercial Court until Oct. 2014, giving McIlroy a full season to block out the specter of losing the suit and countersuit.

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Ryan Ballengee

Ryan Ballengee is founder and editor of Golf News Net. He has been writing and broadcasting about golf for nearly 20 years. Ballengee lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his family. He is a scratch golfer...sometimes.

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