Nike might go out of the golf business altogether. The apparel brand shut down its equipment venture in 2016, and now, as per reports, it is planning to stop the apparel side of things as well. Moreover, before the business potentially closes, it has witnessed another setback with one of its biggest ambassadors, Jason Day, exiting stage left.
Tiger Woods, too, after 27 years of his partnership with the billion-dollar giant and having made north of $500 million, is allegedly leaving them behind. It certainly seems like dark clouds are looming over Nike; however, despite that, there are few in the sport who remain loyal.
The world no. 1 and 14 are among the many Nike loyalists
The loss of Day and the potential loss of Woods will certainly be no cakewalk for Nike. However, the multi-billion-dollar sports giant can find solace in the fact that despite these pros leaving, some other big names continue to keep their trust in them. At the 2024 Sentry alone, multiple PGA Tour pros are donning the swoosh!
The world number one and the solo player on the leaderboard after round two, Scottie Scheffler, headed onto the Sentry field at the Plantation Course this week wearing Nike. The six-time PGA Tour champion was wearing it from head to toe. Moreover, the special thing was when Scheffler paid a small tribute to Woods. Even though Woods and Nike are rumored to be parting ways, the 1x major champ wore the TW Nike shoes for the first round.
Another golfer donning the Swoosh this week is Tommy Fleetwood. The Englishman has signed with Nike since his debut in 2010. Fleetwood was one of the original Nike equipment athletes until they stopped club production in 2016. After that, he remained a free agent until 2020, when he signed another deal with TaylorMade. Nonetheless, the 6x DP World Tour winner always wears Nike on the course. This time he styled a Nike white golf cap with a sky blue polo, a woven black belt, and swoosh shoes.
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Tom Kim, too, is wearing Nike at the 2024 Sentry. The three-time PGA Tour winner signed with Nike only recently, and further details of the contracts remain undisclosed. However, after the news of his partnership got out, the golf world severely criticized the Korean golfer. The fans were hoping Kim would sign anyone but Nike, but clearly Kim’s own thoughts preceded their wants. Moreover, his recent deal with the company makes many consider whether the company is truly leaving the golf industry behind or not.
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Another one of the swoosh athletes on the Sentry field this week is Tony Finau. The American star signed with the apparel brand in 2016, when he won multiple titles as a pro. The partnership is certainly a big one for both parties, and currently both seem happy and content. Their bond was further flaunted in the golf world with a prank by the pair.
In 2019, as part of the April Fools Day custom, Nike and Finau came together to launch a fake signature shoe, jokingly paying homage to his 2018 Masters injury at the Par 3 contest. The prank was quite successful, as many arguably believed it to be the real deal.
The partnership between these golfers and Nike stands testament to the fact that regardless of the Nike-Woods rift, the billion-dollar brand still has a big image in golf. Whether that changes or not in the coming months, however, remains to be seen.
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