Rory Taking A Few Weeks Off To Spend More Preparing For Trial
/An unbylined Irish Independent story says this weekend's mediation failed and therefore Rory McIlroy has decided to take time off for a few weeks to prepare for a trial in February. McIlroy was photographed over the weekend as the mediation unfolded.
Sounds like an excuse to skip an event or two he wasn't in the mood to play, but only he would know.
"I'm going to need time away from tournament golf to prepare for the trial over my legal dispute with Horizon Sports Management," Rory said today.
"The court-directed mediation process failed over the weekend to resolve the issue."
McIlroy will sit out the forthcoming BMW Masters or the WGC - HSBC Champions and is expected to return at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai on November 20.
**Philip Reid notes this on McIlroy's absense and the source of McIlroy's quotes:
Whilst his absence will be a huge blow to the sponsors of both events, McIlroy - who won’t reappear on tour until the end-of-season DP World Tour Championship in Dubai on November 20th-23rd, where he will secure the Race to Dubai title for topping the money list on the European Tour - felt he had to put the trial, scheduled for February, ahead of playing.
In a statement issued tonight through Dublin-based The Communications Clinic, McIlroy said: “I’m going to need time away from tournament golf to prepare for the trial over my legal dispute with Horizon Sports Management. The court-directed mediation process failed over the weekend to resolve the issue.”
**Ewan Murray on the McIlroy news, includes the concern about McIlroy's Masters prep:
This casts a late shadow over what has proved an epic year on the course for McIlroy, including winning two major championships. There will be debate as to how his preparations and playing schedule before the Masters next April will be affected by the possibility of up to two weeks in a Dublin witness box.
James Corrigan has the same concern and also notes that McIlroy is passing up a massive appearance fee in China.
The McIlroy fallout should not begin to reach those depths, but the very fact the 25-year-old – who won the last two majors of the season to re-establish himself as golf’s undisputed best – is already focused on his appearance on the stand in a Dublin court early next year, will cause fears that it could affect his bid for The Masters, which starts on April 9 at Augusta, where he will attempt to become just the sixth player in history to win the career grand slam.
The fee McIlroy might have earned in week one could have compensated any loss in the trial, which suggests this is not all about money. Remember Sonny, it's not personal, it's business.
