After Charlie Woods, Schoolmate Kai Trump Publicly Backs ‘Sun Day Red’ Amid Rising Legal Battles

Tiger Woods joked that he wanted to “ruin” the logo of his apparel brand Sun Day Red when it launched in 2024. The logo has a tiger made from 15 stripes to represent Woods’s 15 major titles and the golf icon hoped to add more championships to give his designers a headache. But it turns out, there are others who are hellbent on changing the brand’s logo. Last year, the brand found itself in the middle of a lawsuit filed by Tigeraire, accusing it of “unlawfully hijacking” its logo. As this tussle was going on, PUMA entered the fray, filing a notice against Woods’ brand on January 2.  

Tiger Woods hasn’t had an easy ride with his Sun Day Red brand. Fans have often called it out over the pricing of its products. But the bigger problems lie with Tigeraire and PUMA taking them to court. In the midst of all this, Tiger’s other venture, TGL, the new virtual golf league, took off on January 7 and saw the golfer make his debut a week later, drawing more than 1 million average viewers on ESPN. The contest also saw Kai Trump, the granddaughter of US President Donald Trump show her support for Woods.

The Benjamin School student was spotted on the sidelines at the SoFi Center, cheering for Woods’s team in a cozy dark green SDR sweatshirt. However, she failed to bring any luck to Tiger Woods’s team.

Woods’s Jupiter Links GC was routed 12-1 by the LAGC team led by Collin Morikawa. Still, Woods’ debut drew 1,005,000 million average viewers and peaked at 1.1 million viewers shortly before the match’s conclusion between 8:30 and 8:45 p.m. ET. Meanwhile, Kai who is Charlie Woods’ schoolmate, has promoted the Sun Day Red brand before as well.

Late last year when Sun Day Red launched a female collection, Kai, herself a golfing prodigy, posted a vlog on YouTube, in which she is going Sunset golfing at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster. She was spotted wearing Tiger Woods’s brand hoodie. This show of support will come as some relief for Tiger Woods, who can’t seem to catch a break.

In October 2024,  Tigeraire, the Baton Rouge-based inventor of Air Accelerator technology, filed a notice of opposition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office against Sun Day Red’s Tiger logo, claiming unlawfully hijacked” Tigeraire’s design into its own branding. In response, Woods’ legal team sued Tigeraire and filed a motion to dismiss the patent claim. However, they found themselves in more trouble after German sneaker and apparel company, Puma filed a notice of opposition against Tiger Woods’ Sun Day Red logos over two weeks ago.

The sportswear giant isn’t happy with how similar the looks to their famous “leaping Cat” logo. Puma argues that it could confuse consumers, given how closely related the goods and services are. In Puma’s latest complaint, they’re arguing that the Sun Day Red logo “will dilute the strength and fame” of Puma’s logo. Basically, they’re saying that the similarity between the two could weaken the impact of their well-known symbol.

Puma’s iconic “leaping cat” logo was designed by German cartoonist Lutz Backes.  According to court documents, it’s been used in the U.S. since at least 1969. Puma in its filing noted, “Due to the confusing similarity of the marks and the identical, legally identical, or closely related nature of the goods and services of the parties, consumer confusion is likely between the Challenged Marks and the Leaping Cat logo.”

In response, TaylorMade stood firm, telling CNBC they’re confident in their trademarks. But trademark lawyer Josh Gerben, who isn’t part of the case, thinks Puma has a solid argument.

“This is a real fight,” he said. “Any time you have open litigation you can lose. I think Puma has a legitimate case.” Puma and Sun Day Red could still reach a settlement before the case goes to trial, likely in September 2026, according to Gerben,

Through all the drama and legal challenges, Woods has kept his head up and continues to proudly promote SDR. Just last year, during the season-ending PNC Championship, Woods and his son Charlie showed up in Sun Day Red outfits, blending family and business in the coolest way possible.

The father-son duo sported the Monterey stripe polo in red and the pioneer Cypress golf shoe with tonal pants. Tiger topped his look with a red cashmere sweater and the Cypress hat. While Woods’s brand is garnering new supporters like Kai Trump, he’s also facing major legal challenges that threaten to overshadow his brand’s growth. But is Woods really trying to steal another brand’s logo?

Is Tiger Woods really trying to dupe other brands’ logos?

When Woods first launched Sun Day Red, he made it clear that the 15 stripes on the logo represent his 15 major championships—kind of a personal touch for his brand. But Puma doesn’t see it that way. So, is Woods intentionally ripping off Puma, or is this just a case of two logos sharing a resemblance?

Woods’s legal team might settle before the case goes to court, with trademark attorney Josh Gerben predicting a trial sometime around September 2026. But regardless of the legal drama, Woods isn’t backing down. Just recently at TGL, he showed up wearing a Sun Day Red hoodie. Fans were quick to celebrate Woods’s confidence, flooding social media with comments like, “The GOAT has entered the building.”

And here’s the thing—Woods isn’t limiting his brand to just golf apparel. Sun Day Red recently made headlines by signing two Stanford quarterbacks, showing that Woods’s vision extends beyond the course. Looks like he’s not just trying to compete in the golf apparel world—he’s ready to take on the entire sportswear market. But will he escape from the clutches of Puma?