Tiger Woods on the practice range on April 5, 2022, before the beginning of the 2022 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.
Brian Spurlock | Icon Sportswire | Getty Images
Tiger Woods and TaylorMade have made it official. The golf great has agreed to create a latest apparel and footwear performance and lifestyle brand with the Carlsbad, California company following his recent split with Nike.
The brand, Sun Day Red, will likely be available first only online starting in May. “Life changes and this is essential transition and I desired to have a brand that I used to be pleased with going forward,” Tiger said.
Woods says the name of the brand “Sun Day Red” is a tribute to the undeniable fact that he’s all the time worn red on Sundays. The tiger logo is a tribute to the 15 majors he has worn over the course of his profession.
TaylorMade and Woods announced the news Monday night during a press event in Pacific Palisades, California, ahead of the PGA Tour’s Genesis Invitational, an event he hosts.
“It’s the precise time,” Woods said, appearing in a cashmere sweater from the brand new brand.
Tiger Woods partners with TaylorMade to launch “Sun Day Red” lifestyle and performance brand.
Ethan Gulley/Sun Day Red
Woods’ relationship with TaylorMade dates back to 2017, when the 2 signed an equipment deal that has him fidgeting with the brand’s driver, fairway woods, irons and wedges.
Woods said he was courted by other firms but he trusted TaylorMade for his or her ability to “get it right.”
TaylorMade CEO David Abeles said Woods had been an inspiration for his team, including his discipline and meticulous approach to product design.
The brand new brand includes a completely latest company with separate headquarters and employees who’re solely focused on its development, Abeles said.
“There is no such thing as a influence from TaylorMade on this brand. His brand stands alone and is independent from TaylorMade,” Abeles said.
Last month, Woods announced his split from longtime apparel partner Nike after 27 years. Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, told CNBC on the time that the golfer made the business decision to not renew with Nike.
The 15-time majors winner’s brand exposure today is lower than it once was at the peak of his profession. Woods has been plagued with a series of injuries following his 2021 automotive crash near Los Angeles, by which he suffered multiple leg injuries. Since then, the 48-year-old has made rare appearances at major golf tournaments, and his play has been unsteady.
Yet, the deal continues to be a significant win for TaylorMade. Woods still has an enduring legacy, experts say, and continues to attract massive crowds as fans hope to catch a glimpse of one in every of the best golfers of all time.
“Michael Jordan continues to be Michael Jordan, and Air Jordans still do thoroughly,” said Eric Smallwood, president of Apex Marketing Group, invoking the basketball Hall of Famer for comparison.
Apex has tracked Woods’ brand exposure over the course of his profession. Smallwood said the golfer’s TaylorMade deal will likely be a “huge lift” for its brand.
While Woods will be seen less often on the golf course, he has taken on ownership of a latest indoor, tech-focused golf league with Rory McIlroy called TGL. That is expected to kick off next yr and has a broadcast deal on ESPN, which could possibly be a giant boost for TaylorMade.
Speculation around a Woods-TaylorMade partnership has swirled for months. TaylorMade created a latest LLC called TaylorMade Lifestyle Ventures last March, in keeping with Josh Gerben, a trademark attorney at Gerben Law. Then in June, the corporate began filing trademarks including SUNDAY RED, a logo for SUN DAY RED, a tiger logo and a tiger logo with the letters S, D, R.
Gerben told CNBC it’s likely that TaylorMade filed the LLC as a option to provide Woods with equity in the brand new company.
“I assumed it was an incredibly unique structure,” he said. “In a sponsorship deal with an athlete, you very rarely see a latest entity created simply to own that.”
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