We knew Tiger Woods would be playing a new golf ball (Bridgestone) and new woods (TaylorMade) at the Hero World Challenge, and now we know he will be wearing the new Nike TW '17 shoes for the event as well.
"This shoe is an absolutely integral part of my return to the sport I love and have missed so much," Woods said in a statement. "Nike really got in the zone with me. I knew [Nike Senior Director of Athlete Innovation] Tobie and I were on to something special back when I tried on the first prototype. I feel supreme support from this shoe which leads to the utmost confidence when I step onto the course."
Nike, as you probably know, is getting out of the golf equipment and golf ball business, but it will remain in the apparel and shoe business and continue to make Woods (and others) shoes for the foreseeable future.
As for the design on these kicks? They certainly are not my favorites. We got a glimpse of them as Woods beat balls on the range over the weekend, and they looked ... not great.
.@TigerWoods hit balls for more than two hours Sunday at Albany pic.twitter.com/g4BpK6QigX
— Steve DiMeglio (@Steve_DiMeglio) November 27, 2016
The important thing, though, is that Woods will be back out on the course, no matter what he's wearing.
"It's weird to say, but I have to get my walking legs," he told ESPN. "It's a 5-mile walk. You forget what it feels like to be in golf shoes versus tennis shoes. To be on an uneven lie versus a flat lie. I can walk for two or three hours on a treadmill and it's not the same as walking on a golf course. It's so different, the standing around (between shots)."
