Rory McIlroy avoided a long court battle when he and his attorneys hashed out an agreement with his former management company, Horizon Sports Management, as they were about to go to trial in Dublin, Ireland.
The No. 1 golfer in the world filed suit against the company, which he left in 2013, claiming he was misled into signing a contract with the company. Horizon counter sued, claiming McIlroy owed the company millions of dollars in commissions.
Terms of the agreement were not released, but the BBC reported that the deal requires Rory to play the company more than $20 million in fees.
“The legal dispute between Rory McIlroy and Horizon Sports Management has been settled to the satisfaction of both parties,” a joint statement read. “We wish each other well for the future. The parties will be making no further comment.”
McIlroy was not in court when the agreement was announced, but he showed up a day earlier for the scheduled start of the trial wearing a dark suit and glasses. Reportedly, he already was on a jet headed for his home in Florida when the agreement was announced.
It was estimated that the trial could take from 6-to-8 weeks, with McIlroy expected to be on the stand for up to two weeks. One report claimed that total court time in front of the judge was 44 seconds.
