Rory McIlroy, world No 1 golfer and one of the wealthiest sports stars of all time, has finally sold his stunning Co Down home, his agent has confirmed. The property, guided at £2 million, was completed only in 2006 and has been on the market since September.
However, the new Nike ambassador who signed a £63- £75 million five-year deal with arguable the world's best known sports brand may have taken a hit on the price.
Robinhall House, a 550sq m sumptuous modern dwelling with its private driving range, green, practice holes and tennis court, sits on a lush 5.5 hectare site, just outside Carryduff, Co Down about 20 minutes from central Belfast.
It is not known what Rory paid for the property when he moved in at the peak of the property boom. Estate agent Michael Rodgers has professionally deflected all inquiries about sale price and the new owners other than to confirm that they are a family and that the gentleman involved is indeed a golfer.
"We're very pleased with the sale," Mr Rodgers said, "as is our client".
"We had very good interest in the house from the get go, we were talking to two or three people very closely in the tail end of last year and the beginning of this year and we managed to put something together just a couple of weeks ago."
Completion is expected next month, but contracts have been agreed and signed.
The property may not have sparked a knock-out-drag-out bidding war, but Mr Rodgers did suggest he handled "a couple of proposals out of those three".
The client is "absolutely" happy with the agreement.
Regarding the agreed price he added: "Clearly, any owner will make their minds up as to whether they consider a sale to be appropriate or not and our job is to satisfy any client that we work for. We've no reason to believe that Rory was unhappy with the outcome."