There was a time when Frank was the second most popular Nike star besides Tiger Woods. Frank is, of course, the stuffed Tiger, a headcover made by his mother Kultida Woods. Many memorable ads later, one that stands out is the 2004 one. The one where his trusted companion almost betrayed him. 

It was more popular because it featured David Duval, Rory Sabbatini, and John Cook. In the commercial, Woods’s colleagues sneak into his garage for a peek into his bag. The word is there is a new gear that the world no.1 has kept hidden. 

Thanks to Frank, they are now privy to the secret sauce. “With that, I give you the ignite driver,” Frank says as the head cover is pulled off from the club. Duval wanted to try the new toy, the Nike Ignite driver. But during his backswing, the clubhead shattered the window of Woods’s car. They run with the urgency of a heist gone wrong. As Duval came back to return the driver, we got the immortal one-liner from Frank. “Best contact you’ve made all year, Duval.”  

Nike was new to the equipment business then. Woods has been using the Nike golf ball since 2000, his irons were also from the apparel giant. Duval, notably, was in the middle of a winless streak when he appeared in the commercial. 

It was late 2003. The last time he won a tour was in the 2001 Open Championship. The former world no.1 struggled with his swing all through the year. So, Nike officials were a little apprehensive with the last line. Would he mind? He didn’t. 

A year later, the 13-time PGA Tour winner told Gainesville Sun, “I thought it was hilarious.” No doubt, the ever-charming and versatile, Paul Giamatti, nailed it in Frank’s voice. However, despite the popularity of the commercials, Nike’s equipment was not Woods’s first choice.

Tiger Woods’s curious relationship with Nike clubs

Nike clubs were not his favorite even when he was demolishing the field with the red Nike polo. Back in 2003, the 15-time major champion ditched his Nike driver for the old Titleist 975D. In fact, Woods used the Nike Ignite only for a brief period. 

Even when Nike released the 460cc edition, the former world no.1 preferred to stick with the 410cc he had. Woods took his time to shift to the newer model. Interestingly, Woods had a clause in his Nike contract that allowed him to use any gear of his choice should he feel like it. The 15-time major champion switched to different brands throughout his career.

In 2016, Nike shuttered their equipment business. Some opined Woods’s reluctance to pick the newest gear from the Beaverton-HQ brand was one reason why Nike couldn’t break the dominance of the established equipment giants. Nevertheless, the 82-time PGA Tour winner continued to sport the familiar Swoosh on his apparel before switching to Sun Day Red early this year.