Rory McIlroy and Nike have agreed to a contract extension in which McIlroy will wear Nike shoes and apparel into the future. McIlroy told ESPN the contract is for 10 years.
After Nike announced last year it was getting out of the club- and ball-making business, the future of the company within the golf world seemed murky at best. But then it signed golfers like Jason Day and Thomas Pieters in the offseason, and a clearer picture started to emerge.
Nike would stay in golf, but it would only stay in golf as a shoe, shirt, pants and hat business. This makes sense. Making golf clubs is expensive, and more margin can be found on the apparel side. Plus, that’s the side Nike has always had its hand in. The club-making side started largely because of Tiger Woods who is on his way out of the game whether it’s in a year or 10.
Some golfers like Charl Schwartzel have gone away from Nike completely, but many like McIlroy have stayed on to wear the gear and the kicks.
“I’ve loved this company since I was a kid,” McIlroy said in a prepared statement. “I’m really happy to continue this journey with Nike.”
It will be interesting to see what Nike has in store for McIlroy and its other staffers this year. Last year at the Masters, McIlroy rocked some awesome Kobe Bryant-themed shoes.
McIlroy and new Nike staffer Day recently shot a pretty humorous Nike commercial.