Min Woo Lee Eclipses Tiger Woods-Nike Split With Historic Lululemon Move

Another Aussie follows in the footsteps of Jason Day. The 2023 Fortinet Australian PGA Championship winner, Min Woo Lee, is the latest golfer to go through an image makeover this year. Nuclr Golf reported that Lee has signed with Lululemon as his apparel sponsor. The Canadian-American brand’s first foray into men’s professional golf seemingly overshadows Tiger Woods’s high-profile exit from Nike after 27 years.

The sponsorship shakeup news also comes amidst Jason Day and Xander Schauffele’s shocking departures from Nike and Adidas, respectively. It appears young golfers are more inclined towards breaking the mold and are not afraid to choose non-traditional brands, as Lee’s bold move demonstrates.

Min Woo Lee can become the face of a new era

It is not yet known how long the activewear brand has been in talks with Min Woo Lee. Notably, both parties have yet to make an official announcement. But Nuclr Golf cited Ben Swanger of D CEO Magazine to reveal the new collaboration. What we do know is that Lululemon has yet to establish itself as a golf brand.

The $58B brand was present at the PGA Buying & Education Summit last August, as Sports Illustrated reported earlier. Interestingly, Lululemon first forayed into golf via the LPGA route by partnering with Kiwi star Lydia Ko back in 2019. The 19-time LPGA Tour winner, at that time, said, “It’s great for golf.”

Three years later, the Vancouver-HQ brand signed a NIL deal with former NBA star and amateur golfer JR Smith. Clearly, the brand has a very small footprint in golf. But Lee, like his Kiwi counterpart, found the athletics wear brand a perfect fit that matched his uber-cool personality, which made him an instant hit with fans several times.

Min Woo Lee, naturally, has a chance to become the face of the brand on the elite circuit. Notably, Nike, when they signed Tiger Woods for $40 million, was relatively new in golf. That, however, would go on to become one of the most historic endorsement deals in sports and make Nike Golf a steady-go for future stars. But recent trends show that young golfers are slowly retracing their footsteps from the old guards, as it’s not Nike alone who is suffering.

Which way does the wind blow?

Notably, Xander Schauffele, too, ended his partnership with Adidas this year. Schauffele was seen sporting the Japanese brand Descente at the recently concluded Sentry. Whereas, Day partnered with the streetwear brand Malbon Golf. The former World No. 1 lamented how every golfer on the course wears the same type of clothes.

Read More: A Sign of Times in the PGA Tour? Does Jason Day’s Nike Snub Pave the Path for New Entrants in the Market?

While Woods has not revealed his next partner yet, it is widely rumored that the 15-time Major champion is going to pick Greyson Clothiers, a brand that has reportedly signed his son, Charlie Woods. Greyson, also a new player in golf, has quietly signed Justin Thomas and Matt Fitzpatrick, among others. Min Woo Lee’s partnership with another new brand shows the wind of change is blowing strong on the PGA Tour.

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