Golf legend Tiger Woods, 48, has ended his 27-year contract with Nike.
Woods announced the end of his contract with Nike on his X (formerly Twitter) account, saying, “I was lucky to start a partnership with the most iconic brand in the world 27 years ago.” He added, “The days after that are filled with so many amazing moments and memories that once you start naming them, you will be able to continue forever.”
Nike also expressed its gratitude by posting a picture of Woods wearing a red t-shirt on social media. “You challenged the whole golf system. You challenged us. You challenged yourself more than anything else,” Nike said. “We are grateful for the challenge.”
Woods is famous for his signature look with a red t-shirt, black pants and a hat. He used to win in the final round of a tournament by wearing this outfit. “From my college days to my junior golf career, I wore red whenever there was a big event on the last day,” Woods told the golf media Bunkerd. “I adhered to the red uniform depending on my image, and it worked.”
Woods has built a long-standing trust with Nike since turning pro in 1996. In 2000, he signed a sponsorship contract worth over 100 million U.S. dollars, the largest amount ever for an athlete. When Woods was embroiled in an extramarital affair scandal and other companies terminated sponsorship deals in 2009, Nike maintained its contract with Woods. When Nike closed its golf equipment business in 2016, Woods kept his promise and wore Nike equipment.
The relationship between the two began to falter after Woods had a car accident in 2021. After the accident, Woods appeared wearing shoes from FootJoy, a golf shoe brand other than Nike’s TW golf shoes named after him. The following year, Woods said he needed shoes that could give him more stability because of the aftereffects of the accident.
Golf podcast “No Racing Up” reported on the 4th of last month that the PNC Championship, an event competition of the PGA Tour Champions held from the 16th to the 18th of last month, could be the last competition for Woods to compete in Nike. When asked about his relationship with Nike ahead of his participation in the PNC Championship, Woods said, “I’m still wearing their products.”
SALLY
ASIA JOURNAL
