Rory McIlroy said his decision to leave his former agent Chubby Chandler and International Sports Management was not easy.
“It was very difficult for me – I was very close to him and remain very close to him,” McIlroy told the BBC Wednesday. ”It was a purely business decision and nothing personal at all.”
After a four-year relationship with Chandler, the U.S. Open champion left the firm for Dublin-based Horizon Sports Management two weeks ago.
“You know sometimes to go forward in your career you just need to make decisions and I just thought it was a decision I needed to make,’ McIlroy said. ‘For four years, Chubby was the best guy and ISM were fantastic for me, but sometimes to progress you need to have a fresh view on things.
“It’s about me trying to play my best golf and that’s all there is to it. With a new environment around me, it might enable me to play even better.”
In the days after McIlroy’s decision, Chandler gave several interviews regarding the defection. The agent hypothesized that the Ulsterman’s girlfriend, No. 1-ranked tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, may have influenced the move. Chandler now says that the move is old news.
“We’ve both already moved on,” Chandler told The Independent on Wednesday. “We shared a laugh and a couple of jokes, had a chat and were fine, just like I knew we would be. I wish Rory nothing but the best.”
McIlroy is playing in the WGC-HSBC Champions this week in Shanghai, trying to catch Luke Donald for the European Tour’s Race to Dubai money title.