Rory McIlroy's Agent is a Smart Man

Rory McIlroy played extremely well in his first American appearance at the Accenture Match Play this weekend.  He lost to eventual champion Geoff Ogilvy and represented himself very well on and off of the course.  But don't expect to see Rory McIlroy join the PGA Tour anytime soon.

Geoff Shackelford linked to this story in the Irish Times, in which McIlroy's agent details his wise plan for expanding McIlroy's career.

[McIlroy's agent Andrew] Chandler is not looking to the PGA Tour but the world market and future rivalries with players such as 19-year-old New Zealander Danny Lee and the 17-year-old Japanese schoolboy Ryo Ishikawa, both of whom have already become the youngest winners in the history of the European and Japanese tours.

Asked about McIlroy’s potential explosion in the US, Chandler asked: “What does it have to be America? The players to watch are Danny Lee and Ishikawa. They are the two huge stars coming up because of their connection with Asia. So America doesn’t really matter and if Rory ends up with a rivalry with Ishikawa then it’s huge."

[Chandler] has decided that there will be no sponsorship overkill just yet and no move to the PGA Tour either as they eye the golf explosion in Asia and the global attraction of a world schedule that combines the best of the European Tour’s Race to Dubai with the majors and World Golf Championships.

“There’s absolutely no point in him taking out his PGA Tour card,” Chandler said before the start of yesterday’s third round. “Suddenly he has got to play 15 tournaments. Suddenly they start dictating to you."

He has a point.  In the past few months, the US has really gotten a glimpse of what could perhaps be the future of golf. 

And, with how the game has grown, these kids don't have to overexpose themselves to sponsors or fly around the globe to play on terms other than their own.  Good for Chandler to understand that and take his client's growth seriously. 

Chandler should call BJ Wie to discuss.