What’s the Story, Rory McIlroy?

Rory McIlroy in 2013 vs 2012

Last year at this time we were celebrating Rory McIlroy as Player of the Year. Four wins and a second major championship will do that.

But then the boy from Holywood went kinda Hollywood. After having sacked his longtime agent, Chubby Chandler, and relocating to the U.S., McIlroy continued his very public romance with Danish tennis star Caroline Wozniacki and remade his image by ditching Titleist for the edgier, personality-driven Nike.

Appearances alongside Tiger Woods in Nike commercials followed. So did paparazzi shots of McIlroy and Wozniacki and questions about his game and his focus.

The result? In 2013 McIlroy dropped from 1 to 41 on the money list, won a total of zero events and earned 80 percent less—$6.25 million—than he did in 2012.

But hey, thanks to his multimillion-dollar Nike deal, McIlroy won’t be endorsing instant ramen anytime soon.

But that Nike deal was negotiated by Horizon Sports, the agency for which he dumped Chandler and which McIlroy has since also dumped and is now suing for excessive commissions. He and Nike also now find themselves embroiled in a nasty legal battle with Oakley regarding a breach of contract.

And speaking of breaches, he and Wozniacki have apparently split, though he will not publicly comment on it and Wozniacki denies it.

There’s also a brewing controversy as to whether the Northern Ireland native will represent Ireland or England in the 2016 Olympics. The hits just keep on coming.

It’s hard to imagine anyone—let alone a puckish 24-year-old—playing championship-caliber golf with so many distractions.

So can he return to the form that led him to record-setting victories in the 2011 U.S. Open and 2012 PGA Championship?

It’ll be tough.

We can only hope the same golfer who shook off a historic choke in the final round of the 2011 Masters and two months later won the U.S. Open can do the same with his personal travails and become the great champion everyone thought he would be.

But to do so, he’ll have to employ a much different set of tools than he did a few years ago, and we’re not just talking about his VR Pro Blades.

Colorado AvidGolfer is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.comJon Rizzi is the founding editor and co-owner of this regional golf-related media company producing magazines, web content, tournaments, events and the Golf Passport.

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