Tiger Woods’s Sun Day Red a Major Flop Show?

Anticipation was high when Tiger Woods walked up to the stage at the Pacific Palisades. For the first time in many years, the all-too-familiar Swoosh didn’t adore his chest. It’s the start of a new era, the era of Sun Day Red. As little details poured out of the private event, golf fans were torn.

The 48-year-old said, “This isn’t something that’s fake or not organic by nature. This is just who I am, and the team did a great job of detailing all of that.” Fans, however, couldn’t relate. Neither could a lot of industry insiders.

So, was Sun Day Red a gamble worth taking? 

The task for Sun Day Red was always tough. Woods’s split with Nike was being compared to Tom Brady’s split with the New England Patriots. That’s something when you consider golf isn’t a team sport (sorry, Jon Rahm).

While the brand doesn’t bear the 15x Major winner’s name, ‘Sun Day Red’ is a nod to Woods’s iconic red tees. The apparel incorporated specific requirements from Woods, including shoulder seaming, (Goodbye mock neck?) two-way zippers, and other little things. 

From what TaylorMade CEO David Abeles said, it appears Woods will have a greater say in the designs as well. “It will have its own identity when we launch it tonight. It will have its own identity 20 years from now,” said the veteran CEO. Interestingly, TaylorMade’s CEO also said that the brand will foray into the footwear business as well. 

On top of that, Tiger Woods’s comments also hint that the veteran golfer sees this as part of his illustrious legacy. The involvement of Tiger Woods may be more abundantly clear when TaylorMade enters the market in May, somewhere between the Masters and the PGA Championship.

But Woods wouldn’t be the first one to float his apparel brand. In the past, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Greg Norman have either floated their own brand or collaborated with established apparel lines. None, however, found much success in the business. 

The case can be different for Woods. But with his waning chances of glory, the question is, can Woods sway the mood of golf world like he did 20 years ago? Can he pump billions into TaylorMade by sheer popularity alone? The window of opportunity looks increasingly narrower. A pulse check on social media also tells you that.

“Why though?” Asks baffled fans

Anticipation gave way to despair after Woods launched his new clothing line. The 15 stripes that represent his 15 major victories didn’t resonate with most. What happens if he wins his 16th? Woods quipped that they would change the logo. But there were a few takers for that. Also, if you thought the logo was a very poor knockoff of Slazenger, you’re not alone.

Ironically, the red polo didn’t find any ‘buyer’. Rather, the hoodie garnered some acceptance. Comments from ‘garbage’, ‘ugly’, and ‘horrendous’ filled social media channels. Moreover, some have already hinted that the former World No. 1 might have had his say on the ‘atrocious’ logo as well.

Furthermore, the rationale behind keeping ‘Sun Day Red’ as three words was lost on many. Why not simply keep it Sunday red was the question frequently posed? The TaylorMade CEO explained the reasons in the press conference, which didn’t find any support among netizens.

Did Sun Day Red push it too hard? And a little too far?

USPTO data showed that TaylorMade filed for the trademark sometime around mid-December when Tiger Woods was with Nike. TaylorMade lingered with the idea for some time, as the records show three different logo designs. One with simply the brand name ‘Sun Day Red’ was filed too. 

Another design showcased the same striped logo with ‘S’, ‘D’, and ‘R’—the brand’s initials—etched as well. Eventually, TaylorMade stuck to the striped tiger logo sans the carved initials. They haven’t entirely ditched the idea, though. The initials do find a place in some of the products, much to many fans’ chagrin. 

Abeles revealed that the words were split for two reasons. While designing the outfits, Woods and his team came back to the rule of thirds. Secondly, the word ‘Sun’ refers to a sunny day that golfers look forward to the most; ‘Day’ is any day that the game is played on; and ‘Red’ of course is Woods’ iconic red tees. It’s not hard to understand why many were baffled by the three-word logo that should’ve been two words, ideally.

The question in December was whether Nike was leaving the golf apparel business. Many analysts and commentators put a death knell on the megabrand when the rumors of Woods leaving Nike gained momentum. The Oregon-HQ brand, meanwhile, has sent a memo to the players assuring them that it’s not going to shut down the golf apparel business. 

Read More: Tiger Woods Winning Another Major Is a Hard Pill to Swallow; Does He Agree to It?

So, Nike and Sun Day Red will exist in the small world of the golf apparel business, where new-age brands like Lululemon, Greyson Clothiers, and Malbon Golf are making headway. If anything, the Riviera event hammered home the fact that it is not easy disassociating Tiger Woods from Nike, and Sun Day Red did a rather shoddy job in its first attempt.