McIlroy ready for second round of £13m legal row
GOLF world No1 Rory McIlroy’s legal dispute with his former management company is set to resume today in Dublin’s High Court after both parties reported making progress yesterday.
McIlroy is suing Horizon Sports Management over what he argues were excessive fees during a period in which he signed a lucrative sponsorship deal with Nike said to be worth between £66m and £150m.
Horizon is counter-suing the 25-year-old Northern Irishman, who they say breached the contract and owes £13m in outstanding fees. Unless a last-minute settlement is reached, the hearing is expected to last up to eight weeks.
Barristers for both parties spent much of day one narrowing down the issues and McIlroy’s counsel Paul Gallagher SC later said “further progress” had been made, before judge Brian Cregan granted an adjournment until 11am today.
Meanwhile Sky is to replace the BBC as exclusive live broadcaster for the Open Championship from 2017, it was confirmed yesterday.
The five-year contract sees the British-held Major leave free-to-air television for the first time and ends the BBC’s 60-year custody of the live rights, though they will show a nightly highlights package lasting two hours. Sky’s outbidding of the BBC means it will have live rights for the four Majors and every event on the European and PGA Tours.