Tiger Woods’ Snub Haunts Nike: Injury Turns Killjoy as Footjoy Soars While Loyal Partner Dips

Amid Tiger Woods’ celebrated return to competitive golf, his gaze hasn’t turned to Nike yet, regarding his shoes. Woods turned his back on Nike shoes in 2022. The celebrated golfer started to wear Footjoy shoes and his admiration for the brand is still going strong. It has been almost two years since he has been wearing Footjoy‘s shoes.

Although neither Woods nor Nike has spoken about a potential split, the latter’s shoes haven’t found their way to the 15X major champion’s feet. The golfer’s little switch has potentially had a significant effect on the financials of the two brands as it appears. The effect was indeed a good one for Footjoy, and not so admirable one for Nike. 

How much does Nike miss Tiger Woods?

Footjoy has enjoyed significant growth in numbers across the year 2022. Earlier this year, Acushnet Holdings Corp, owner of the popular brands Titleist, Footjoy, and KJUS, reported increased net sales for the year 2022. Compared to the figures from 2021, the organization reported a 5.7 percent increase in net global sales. 

Footjoy Golfwear as a division experienced a 4.7 percent rise in consolidated net sales in 2022. In contrast, Nike has suffered a downfall in its numbers. After hitting an all-time high of $173 market price, Nike’s stock fell to $82.22 in October 2022.  

Ever since the Masters in 2022, Tiger Woods has been sporting FJ shoes in events and in the practice sessions as well. The history of his ankle injury partly justified the change. However, he hasn’t exactly switched back to his longest brand partner since then. Nike’s and Woods’ partnership goes way back to 1996. The sports athleisure brand partnered with Woods during his early days, and has been on his side through side personal, professional, and legal struggles. 

While Tiger Woods did say that Nike is coming up with something for his feet, no updates have followed that claim. On the other hand, neither Woods nor Nike have mentioned any hint of an end to their professional relationship. However, a Forbes list that mentioned Tiger Woods’ sponsors skipped mentioning Nike in the list. 

Read more: “Yep, New GF”: Who Is Tiger Woods’ New Girlfriend? Amid His Grand Resurgence, All Eyes Befall the Icon’s New Lady-Luck

It’s not just Tiger Woods who chose FJ shoes over Nike, though. His son, Charlie, also opted for the brand his father picked for himself.

Charlie follows father’s footsteps

In June this year, Charlie Woods was spotted practicing at LA’s Riviera Country Club wearing FJ shoes just like his father. This raises a question about whether the switch was only because of the golfer’s health condition. 

Although he is not wearing Nike shoes anymore, the 47-year-old is still appearing in Nike apparel. The exact understanding between the brand and the player remains a mystery to the general public, as of now. 

Amid all this, fans are busy celebrating the legend’s return. How excited are you? Do you think Tiger Woods would score a comeback win this week? Tell us in the comments. 

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