Rory Making Another Agent Change?

Karl MacGinty breaks the surprising news that even fresh off signing huge endorsement deals with Nike, Bose and Omega, Rory McIlroy wants out of his deal with Horizon Sports. Horizon had taken over for Chubby Chandler's ISM at the end of 2011 after McIlroy fired the agent in an airport lounge.

From MacGinty's Irish Independent story:

McIlroy's father Gerry is expected to play a prominent role in the new operation. Just over 18 months ago, McIlroy, one of world sport's hottest properties, stunned golf by quitting the giant International Sports Management, run by Chubby Chandler, and joining Horizon, a Dublin firm with global ambitions.

Brian Keogh analyzes what apparently has been rumored for weeks and suggests that McIlroy has become more isolated in recent months.

What is clear is that McIlroy has always been regarded as headstrong by those who have worked closely with him since he burst on the scene in 2007.

As Ridge told The New York Times’s Karen Krouse earlier this year, in a piece headlined “The Branding of Rory McIlroy”, “he’s the boss.”

McIlroy’s comments in the media have generated plenty of controversy and his stance on who he might represent in the 2016 Olympic Games has arguably reduced his fanbase in the Republic of Ireland.

Close friends contacted by me recently confirmed that they have not been in touch with McIlroy for weeks, “unfortunately”, said one.

Cal Men Set School Record With 23-Under Day

This is just getting silly with Cal's men's team, winners of 10 of 12 2013 events.

Now they've opened up the NCAA Men's regionals by firing a school record 23-under day in Pullman with two rounds to go.

Sean Martin reports.

Cal's round set the school record for lowest 18-hole team score and lowest team round in relation to par. "Any time you set a school record, it feels pretty good," head coach Steve Desimone said. "I guess it should be no surprise it was this team that did it."

Rocco On Tiger Signing His Photo: "That's just the way he conducts things. That's not him."

I finally got around to watching Rocco Mediate's appearance on Feherty and it was as much fun as you'd expect when you put two maniacs in a room in front of cameras.

Thankfully this clip of Mediate talking about asking Tiger to personalize a photo and pin sheet was posted online.

There's also a seven-minute outtake online where Rocco talks about the state of the game, the First Tee (genius but "where do they go"?), growing up on muni's and the worst rule in golf.

LOL: Steiny Lectures Media On Accuracy, "Misplaced Conclusions"

Ron Sirak has the laugh-out-loud sermonizing from agent Mark Steinberg--who had the audacity to suggest he knew nothing of his client's indiscretions yet somehow managed to negotiate a deal to cover them up--on the topic of Michael Bamberger's story from the Players. You may recall Bamberger quoted marshals who never green-lit Tiger to play, a point disputed by a follow up from Garry Smits of the Florida Times-Union who spoke to different "marshals".

"The comments from the marshals in today's story definitively show that Tiger was telling the truth about being told Sergio had hit," Tiger's agent, Mark Steinberg, told GolfDigest.com. "I hope this demonstrates to some reporters the importance of accuracy and not jumping to misplaced conclusions."

Does Steiny really want the press to ask more questions of the "marshal" exonerating his client, who, according to Smits' story, was part of the Tiger security detail and not a marshal?

Or ask why he was calling Hank Haney a liar because the instructor was revealing things that had to make Steiny's negotiations all but impossible?

Speaking of those negotiations, Steiny suggested to his OB Keeler that blue chip companies were after Tiger. Since then, Steinberg hasn't inked any deals of late, which was highlighted when SI pointed out yesterday that Tiger had lost $20 million in endorsement income last year, dropping him from the top spot in SI's ranking of leading athlete revenue earners.

Dottie Goes To ESPN...

In Ron Sirak's story on Dottie Pepper there was some indication that we might be hearing Pepper announce again soon and it turns out ESPN is her destination. Nice get for their team.

For Immediate Release:

Dottie Pepper Joins ESPN’s Golf Coverage Team
 
Dottie Pepper, a major championship-winning golfer as well as a respected television commentator and author, has joined ESPN’s golf coverage team and will make her on-air debut at next month’s U.S. Open.
 
Pepper, a 17-time winner on the LPGA Tour during her career, will serve multiple roles on ESPN’s multiplatform golf coverage including analyst, on-course reporter and anchor during live play. She also will be an analyst on ESPN’s signature news and information program SportsCenter and will write for ESPN.com.
 
"Joining the ESPN golf team offers me the chance to cover the greatest golf events in the world,” said Pepper. “It's a team of passionate and proven winners, dedicated to making the events they cover the best in the game."
 
Pepper, who retired from the LPGA in 2004, worked for the past eight years as a golf commentator for NBC Sports and The Golf Channel and also was a contributing columnist for Sports Illustrated. She announced at the end of the 2012 season that she would be joining the PGA of America Board of Directors to work on developing junior golf in the United States.
 
ESPN’s championship golf schedule for 2013 includes the Masters, U.S. Open and The Open Championship; the U.S. Women’s Open and Women’s British Open; and the U.S. Senior Open and Senior Open Championship.
 
“ESPN’s golf schedule is perfect for me,” said Pepper. “I love working in television and this schedule allows me to do that but also gives me time to continue my work with the PGA of America and junior golf. It’s an ideal situation.”
 
A three-time NCAA All-American golfer at Furman University, Pepper turned pro in 1987 and her 17 victories on the LPGA Tour included two of women’s golf’s major championships. She was LPGA Player of the Year in 1992, a six-time Solheim Cup team member and won more than $6.8 million during her career.
 
In addition to her work on television, Pepper also is co-author of the Bogey Tees Off and Bogey Ballton’s Night Before Christmas children’s books. 
 
"We're very pleased to have the opportunity for Dottie to join our team,” said Mike McQuade, ESPN vice president, production. “Her knowledge, experience and professionalism will bring another layer of strength to our golf coverage."