McIlroy’s megadeal with Nike? Priceless.

Rory McIlroy’s story is well documented.

Much like Ronan Rafferty and Darren Clarke before him his prodigious talent as a young amateur golfer earmarked him as someone destined for greatness. But destiny is never a given, especially in a sport as technically and mentally difficult as the game of golf.

How exciting it is then to have witnessed his seamless transition from the amateur to the professional ranks over the past five years. During that time he has undoubtedly learned a lot about himself, but never once, it seems, has he doubted his own competitive instincts. He remains refreshingly honest and opinionated but, more importantly, the world’s No 1 ranked player has shown no signs of letting up.