Opinion & Analysis

Rory McIlroy pals around with another sports superstar in a Nike…soccer ad?

Published

13 years ago

Dec 6, 2013

Don’t worry; your browser has not mysteriously sent you to SoccerWRX.com.

That video you see below is indicative of the state of golf at the end of 2013, even if it, strangely, is not a golf ad. Nike is selling their colorful, shiny, technologically current new-model soccer ball—the Ordem—and they’re using world soccer icon Wayne Rooney to do it, with McIlroy as the straight-man.

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The ad is a bit of a fake-out given that it opens on the young Ulsterman on the first tee of a tournament where, to his bemusement, he is paired with Rooney, who matches him kick-for-shot: McIlroy’s long, straight tee shots are at times exceeded by Rooney’s booming laser-beam kicks. Rooney skips a the Ordem across a pond and onto a green, while McIlroy retorts with a bank shot off a stone wall. All of this fanciful physical banter takes place under an impossibly blue sky and the lush throwback golf ditty, “Straight Down The Middle,” sung by Bing Crosby. It’s all very silly and fun—Brazilian soccer icon Ronaldo even makes a cameo.

But plenty of longer-form, made-for-Youtube ads are fun to watch and listen to these days. However, this one is noteworthy in that it relates to a major world sport through the lens of golf. Nike and global ad agency Wieden+Kennedy are confident that the largely soccer-oriented audience that will see this ad will not only know who McIlroy is, but will regard him as enough of a global sports star to be helpful in ultimately getting them to buy an Ordem ball.

After all, given Nike’s incomparable stable of athletes under contract with the sports equipment and apparel giant, this ad could have gone in other directions. Rooney could have interrupted a LeBron James-led pick-up basketball game. He could have palled around with Bo Jackson on the (American) football field. He and Rafael Nadal could have played some hybrid of soccer and tennis.

But Nike chose golf as the foil for soccer, and Rory McIlroy—not, you will note, Tiger Woods—as its ambassador and Rooney counterpart. As the global economy gradually starts to regain some momentum after the downturn of recent years, it appears that golf may be “cooler” and more globally relevant than ever. And, perhaps even more significantly, it is apparent that there is wide-ranging appeal for a golfer not named Tiger Woods.

Opinion & Analysis

AVL: My U.S. Amateur local qualifying experience

Published

6 days ago

Jun 5, 2026

Andrew Von Lossow

This past Monday, I played in the U.S. Amateur local qualifier at Rock Creek Country Club in Portland, Oregon. A full tee sheet from 7:30 a.m. to 1:55 p.m., the top 11 scores would make it to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying.

I teed off at 10:48 a.m.. With the 7:30 am tee time, you can get a feel for the leaders’ pace, and they were off and running on the challenging setup at Rock Creek.

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Getting to the highlight of the round on the par five 17th, a drive up the left side and 212 yards left to the front hole location. I took out a 5-iron with plans of middle of the green. The ball ended up 8 feet left of the hole, pin high. A slight downhill putt dropped in for an eagle 3 on the 17th. With the cut line looking to be anywhere from -2 to even par. This was the boost I had been waiting for all day.

With making par from the trees on 18, it was time to wait for a potential playoff with a posted score of one under par 71.

Three hours later, it was playoff time. 8 players for 6 spots. I made par on the playoff hole, which was good enough to advance to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying in July. USGA qualifiers sure deliver on all of the emotions in golf!

Club Junkie

Building my 2026 gamer WITB: Ranking the contenders and new putter projects – Club Junkie Podcast

Published

1 week ago

Jun 4, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

The annual What’s In The Bag build is underway, and on this episode of Club Junkie, Brian breaks down the clubs currently leading the race for a spot in his 2026 gamer setup. From drivers and fairway woods to irons, wedges, and shafts, he ranks the equipment that’s performing best and explains what’s separating the front runners from the rest of the field.

Brian also heads into the workshop to discuss several putter projects currently on the bench. From head options and shaft choices to build ideas and testing plans, he shares what he’s working on and which putters could become serious contenders for the bag this season.

If you’re a gear junkie who loves equipment testing, club building, and the never-ending pursuit of the perfect setup, this episode is for you.

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Club Junkie

Tour Edge Exotics mini driver review + TaylorMade Spider ZT Max first look – Club Junkie

Published

2 weeks ago

May 28, 2026

Brian Knudson

On this episode of Club Junkie, I put the new Tour Edge Exotics Mini Driver to the test and break down the performance, forgiveness, distance, and where it fits compared to a traditional driver or strong fairway wood. If you have been curious about adding a mini driver to the bag, this one is worth a look.

I also dive into the new TaylorMade Spider ZT Max putter that was recently spotted and discuss the growing zero torque putter trend. Plus, there is a closer look at the new Project X Titan Yellow shaft showing up on the PGA Tour and what makes it different from other profiles currently out there.