Is TaylorMade the Real Victor in the Tiger Woods Nike Tussle? The Rumored Yet Unknown History Behind ‘Sunday Red’

Golf fans were in for a shock when Tiger Woods and Nike announced they’d part ways after 27 years. There were rumors, yes, but still, they were just ‘rumors’. However, golf fans were in for more shock when multiple reports suggested that the iconic red shirt would return, but at the hands of TaylorMade Golf.

First reported by LIV Golf Updates and later corroborated by TWLegion and NuclrGolf, the reports suggest that TaylorMade Golf is floating a new clothesline under the name ‘Sunday Red.’ TaylorMade is also Tiger Woods’s equipment sponsor. If it comes true, it’ll prove to be a major victory for the equipment giant. But will that come at Nike’s cost?

Did Nike fail on his Sunday Red bid?

Surprisingly, Nike, too, flirted with the idea for a while. As per the previous application status on ‘Sunday Red,’ Nike Inc. filed for a trademark on the same name in 2009 but eventually withdrew in 2011. It was not clear why the megabrand stopped short in his bid for the famous name.

Notably, Nike also shuttered its golf equipment business in 2016, forcing Woods to choose TaylorMade Golf as his equipment sponsor. Interestingly enough, TaylorMade, at that time, was going through a major revamp as well. Adidas sold the brand to KPS Capital Partners, which turned the business around for the equipment manufacturer. After Woods, TaylorMade Golf partnered with Rory McIlroy, adding to its growing roster of top golfers that already included Brooks Koepka and Collin Morikawa.

More importantly, the trademark filings also show that the deal was all but over in December, as the No Laying Up podcast first reported. USPTO data shows that TaylorMade Golf first filed a trademark application on December 13, the day before the PNC Championship kicked off. The equipment giant also excelled where Nike floundered.

Nike and TaylorMade a study in contrast

Nike’s later years with Tiger Woods are a total contrast to the heyday of their partnership. The veteran golfer was actively involved in many of its shoe designs. It’s a baffling paradox that the same brand that stuck through the 15-time Major champion’s most turbulent years couldn’t come up with a new shoe that would fit his needs.

Woods picking FootJoy in the 2022 Masters rightly caught the media’s attention. While “limited mobility” was the veteran’s reason, Nike also stated that they have been working on a new shoe that would suit him after the surgery. However, that was the last time there was anything on the promised kicks. Nike instead re-released the famous TW’13 last year. The fan-favorite kicks, although made quite the noise, didn’t elicit any response from the 15-time Major champion himself.

Moreover, Tiger Woods famously stuck to his old gear when he was using Nike clubs. In fact, he continued using the Nike irons even after signing an endorsement deal with TaylorMade Golf. The 48-year-old at that time pointed out that TaylorMade was working on the irons. Four years later, Woods has an all-TaylorMade golf bag except for the Scotty Cameron putter. In fact, the 82-time PGA Tour winner has been speaking glowingly about the new Qi10 fairway wood that TaylorMade recently unveiled.

In the Hero World Challenge, the former World No. 1 was sporting the driver before it was officially launched. The collaboration is reminiscent of the early years of the Nike-Woods era, whereas the megabrand’s future looks increasingly uncertain after major departures.

Where is Nike headed after the Tiger Woods split?

Tiger Woods was not the only high-profile golfer to exit Nike. Before Woods, another former World No. 1, Jason Day, left the brand for Malbon Golf. While announcing the decision, the Australian golfer took a subtle jab at the megabrand and its rigidity. In fact, after Tiger Woods’s absence, Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka were two big names associated with the brand.

While there has been no news on Koepka, Rory McIlroy has dropped a massive hint about changing sponsors. The 24-time PGA Tour winner was recently pictured with Greyson Clothiers CEO Charlie Schaefer at the Dubai Invitational. The brand posted a picture on its official social media handle, captioned “leader of the pack.”

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Greyson Clothiers has in fact partnered with Charlie Woods, Tiger Woods’s teenage son, per reports. The 14-year-old sported the famous wolf emblem at the PNC Championship. While Woods was reticent about his sponsorship future during the PNC Championship, within a month, Nike and Woods both made a joint announcement of their split. McIlroy is mostly talking about the future of golf these days. However, it won’t be surprising if Nike loses another one of its biggest stars.

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