Is Tiger Woods Retiring? The Scary Aftermath of Roger Federer’s Nike Exit Paints a Worrying Picture

The next time Tiger Woods tees up on a final round, the familiar Swoosh will be missing from his iconic red. But will there be a next time? And if there is, for how long? The veteran golfer’s departure from Nike—a partnership that lasted for 27 years—looks painfully similar to the exit of another sports icon, who retired not too long after leaving Nike.

Roger Federer left Nike in a shock move in 2018 for the Japanese brand Uniqlo. Like Woods, Federer, too, was associated with the megabrand since the early days of his career. It was a sports partnership that lasted for 24 years. Soon after his exit, the Swiss waved goodbye to the sport as well. Will Woods follow the same path?

Is it a Federer moment in Golf?

While talking about Woods’s Nike exit, Golf Today host, Eamon Lynch talked about the eerie similarity with Federer’s exit. The 20-time Grand Slam winner and Nike parted ways in the last leg of his career. Just four years after leaving Nike, the Tennis legend hung up his racket. 

Tiger Woods, certainly in the last leg of his career, might not hang up his golf club at the moment, however. In the tweet, the former World No.1 left a cryptic note that there would “certainly be another chapter.” Woods’s comments indicate that he is planning to tee up at the Genesis Invitational, a signature event on the PGA Tour that the 15-time Major winner will host.

The veteran golfer also harbors the desire to triumph over Jack Nicklaus’s tally of 18 Majors. Nicklaus won his last Major at the age of 46. While Tiger Woods is already past that, age is no bar, as Phil Mickelson demonstrated in the 2021 PGA Championship.

Interestingly, the former World No. 1 has earlier expressed his desire to play on the Champions Tour after turning 50. However, multiple injuries and an accident derailed his plans to enjoy his last days on the PGA Tour. So, he might think of teeing up on the top circuit for a few more years, but the outings will be few and far between, as the veteran golfer’s recent comments during the Hero World Challenge also indicate the same.

Tiger Woods will play less

Making a comeback seven months after hobbling out of Augusta, the 48-year-old said, realistically, he is planning to tee up at least once a month. “The best scenario would be a tournament a month,” the veteran golfer told reporters. If Woods follows on the course, we might not have plenty to see of the veteran this year, but it will certainly be a better run than the last two years.

Read More: Tiger Woods’s Decision to Sever Nike Ties Means to Let Go a Part of Father Earl Woods’s Legacy

It is likely that at the Los Angeles event, the 82-time PGA Tour winner will reveal his new partner. But certainly, there is no denying that Tiger Woods is nearing the end of his career. Retirement, though, might still be a few years away, and without his commercial partner for 27 years.

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