Tiger Woods had a decision to make after his 27-year relationship with Nike came to a close at the end of 2023, and golf fans surely wondered what Woods would wear on the golf course when he returned to play at the 2024 Genesis Invitational. While it may forever be odd to see Woods in anything other than the trademark swoosh and "TW" logo, we now have an answer to those questions.
Tiger officially announced his own brand on Monday in Los Angeles, which will be known as Sun Day Red (SDR for short).
Yes, that is two words split into three, a nod to Woods' propensity to wear red on Sundays. The Tiger logo, he said, has 15 stripes -- one for each of his 15 major championships. The entire line will be available May 1, and Woods launched a website to go along with the apparel Monday evening.
Wow. This is unbelievably hype. pic.twitter.com/fQ7eHEmbK7
— Gabby Herzig (@GabbyHerzig) February 13, 2024
He also addressed the three-word name on the website.
The word mark appears as 3 words for a simple reason: there is a special power in 3's. Calling it Sun Day Red was a fun way for us to create something completely different and unexpected. Born from a love for being outside in the sun, the joy of playing golf during the day, and a special red being the brands power color - as soon as Sun Day Red was placed on a garment for the first time, it just looked perfect.
TaylorMade will produce the line, which will be run as its own independent business line, according to CEO David Abeles. That's significant because Woods certainly had options. There were a few apparel companies that got thrown around, but ultimately, he went where he had the most control and possibly the biggest financial stake.
Woods previously signed a club deal with TaylorMade after Nike stopped making golf equipment.
It started with a passion. The passion of competing. Of competing against ourselves. The field. The course. Life. Out of that passion, @SunDayRed rises.
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) February 13, 2024
Start your journey with us: https://t.co/MOv7rk5dYT pic.twitter.com/3aQWBHhIci
Tiger's relationship with Nike concluding as he nears the end of his career is reminiscent of Roger Federer and Nike splitting with Federer subsequently earning $600 million through a variety of other unique apparel deals. It remains to be seen whether Woods' endeavor here will be as successful, but this certainly signifies a new era for Tiger.
While he will tee it up as often as he can this year, Woods already has his hands in a number of different activities after his career comes to an end. His golf course design work has received terrific reviews, and while Woods has been slower than other legends to invest in his own products and services, this apparel company is a signal that he is starting to move in that direction.
Seeing Woods in something other than Nike will be bizarre for a while, but he is fully committed to SDR, as some of the branding is showing, for the foreseeable future.
