McIlroy poised to replace Woods as face of Nike

Rory McIlroy has taken over from Tiger Woods as world No 1 and now the 23-year-old Northern Irishman is set to replace the fallen superstar as the face of golf for Nike.McIlroy is poised to sign a staggering 10-year deal worth £156million with the American sportswear giants when his present contract with golf equipment firm Titleist finishes at the end of December.Woods is currently paid £12.5m a year by Nike but his ‘family-man’ image has been tarnished by revelations of his extra-marital affairs.McIlroy, 23, who takes on Woods in an exhibition match in China, was coy over the deal.‘I’ve never been motivated by money,’ said McIlroy. ‘All the business stuff will work itself out. What I want is more trophies.‘I leave it to Conor [Ridge, McIlroy’s manager] to sort out as it leaves me to concentrate on my golf. I have enough to think about trying to get the ball in the hole. I’ve got a very important end to my season coming up.’Dublin-based Ridge, who moved another of his players, Ross Fisher, to Nike from Titleist earlier this season, refused to confirm the move.He said: ‘Rory is under contract with Titleist. It is our policy not to pass comment regarding any industry speculation related to our players.’According to SportPro Media survey, McIlroy is now the second most marketable athlete in the world, behind Brazilian football star Neymar.McIlroy already earns an eight-figure income from his current list of sponsors, which include the Dubai-based Jumeirah Group, Oakley, watchmaker Audemars Piguet and bank Santander.Agencies

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McIlroy poised to replace Woods as face of Nike