Post by Dick Garboski.
The Nike Golf commercial that was to debut Wednesday featuring Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy was shot last year in Southern California with neither player there at the same time.
A source told ESPN.com that because of scheduling issues, McIlroy and Woods could not be present on the same day to shoot the commercial, which has them hitting balls on a driving range while taking good-natured shots at each other.
McIlroy's part was filmed first, with Woods following a few days later, reacting to an actor who attempted to follow McIlroy's script. Both players spent several hours on their respective days, with the final product being unveiled for the first time earlier this week in Abu Dhabi, where McIlroy was officially announced as a company spokesman.
The commercial was shot in October, prior to McIlroy leaving for China to play in the BMW Masters in Shanghai, where he first addressed rumors that he would be leaving Titleist for Nike at the end of 2012 when his contract expired. He tried to downplay the talk that had been simmering for several weeks.
McIlroy, the No. 1-ranked player in the world, will play for the first time Thursday with a full bag of Nike equipment, as well as glove, shoes, ball and apparel. He and Woods, ranked No. 2, are grouped for the first two rounds of the European Tour's Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.
