Royal County Down golf course played host to true American Football royalty this week as NFL legends Eli and Peyton Manning enjoyed a round at the world renowned venue.
The pair are both two-time Superbowl winners and visited Royal County Down with their other brother, American TV personality and entrepreneur Cooper Manning.
The siblings are all linked with AJ Capital Partners who purchased the Slieve Donard Hotel in 2021, with Cooper senior managing director.
Read next: Slieve Donard Resort and Spa sold to American hotel operator
Adventurous Journeys (AJ) Capital Partners, based in Nashville, is an team of hospitality and real estate investors whose passion is 'to create a one-of-a-kind portfolio of timeless assets'.
“Awesome day with the brothers at Royal County Down. I went low, just saying!,” Eli said on Twitter.
Hall-of-Fame quarterback Peyton Manning played for the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos and made more than $248 million during his playing career. That figure doesn't include any of the lucrative endorsement money he earned throughout his time in the NFL.
Only Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, and Peyton’s brother, Eli, have him beat in career earnings.
Eli played for the New York Giants and retired in 2020 as the league's highest-earning player, with an $18 million annual salary and career earnings of $252 million.
The brothers have just returned from another hotel on the AJ Capital Partners portfolio, Rusacks at St Andrews, where they had assembled guests on a spacious balcony overlooking the legendary finishing hole of the Open Championship last week.
Rory McIlroy fell just short of Major victory in Scotland with Peyton supporting his good friend after the pair became close following a chance meeting at the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village, Ohio.
“I had a great visit with Rory after a [Memorial] round, in the weight room of all places,” Peyton said.
“They still let me go in there. I’m waiting for an evening cocktail reception that I’m doing with some of the customers, and I’m trying to kill time. And these guys are in there stretching and getting ready for the next day’s round. I’ve seen Rory in several weight rooms over the years and always had good visits with him."
Back in 2015, McIlroy admitted to being a little over-awed when he met the NFL legends at the Masters.
"Friday morning, I got in the gym about 6. Tom Brady walked in at 6.15, and the Mannings walked in at 6.30. That was my time to leave," he joked.
"I was just surprised he was in there; the Mannings, too. It's their off-season. They're so dedicated and committed to what they do, especially those two guys, Peyton and Tom. They're both in their mid-30s and they want to prolong their careers as much as they can.
"To see them putting so much into it even after 15 successful years as a career and they're still doing it - it was great for me to see, it was inspirational in some ways. It was just nice to be in that little world for a couple of days and experience it.''
READ NEXT
How much money did Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry earn at this year's Open Championship?
Rory McIlroy rues missing out on Open folklore at St Andrews but insists: It's not life or death
NI teenager Sean McAllister eager to follow Price path after signing new Everton deal
Irish League goalkeeper John Connolly seeking new club after committing to play on at 45
Sign up to our free sports newsletter to get the latest headlines to your inbox.
