Current:Home > InvestTiger Woods leaves 27-year relationship with Nike, thanks founder Phil Knight-InfoLens
Tiger Woods leaves 27-year relationship with Nike, thanks founder Phil Knight
View Date:2024-12-23 12:07:54
In men's golf, over the last quarter-century, there has been one constant in the arms race in apparel and brand recognition: megastar Tiger Woods and his long-standing relationship with Nike.
That is all coming to an end.
On social media Monday morning, Woods announced the end of a 27-year relationship with Nike, thanking the company's founder Phil Knight and hinting to a potential future announcement in Los Angeles.
"Over 27 years ago, I was fortunate to start a partnership with one of the most iconic brands in the world," Woods said Monday in a statement. "The days since have been filled with so many amazing moments and memories, if I started naming them, I could go on forever. Phil Knight’s passion and vision brought this Nike and Nike Golf partnership together and I want to personally thank him, along with the Nike employees and incredible athletes I have had the pleasure of working with along the way. People will ask if there is another chapter. Yes, there will certainly be another chapter. See you in LA!"
What did Nike say about Tiger Woods split?
Woods had been non-committal in mid-December about a possible split with the brand, answering "I’m still wearing their product" to a pair of questions posed at a news conference during the recent PNC Championship.
Nike confirmed the news with a post on its Instagram account: "Tiger, you challenged your competition, stereotypes, conventions, the old school way of thinking. You challenged the entire institution of golf. You challenged us. And most of all, yourself. And for that challenge we’re grateful."
Woods' split with Nike leaves a massive void in the market; he had been a brand ambassador for Nike since 1996, when he was 20 years old. Then, upon turning pro, Woods signed a five-year, $40 million contract with Nike after his standout run as an amateur.
At the time of the deal, Knight lauded Woods as a generational, game-changing athlete.
"The world has not seen anything like what he’s going to do for the sport," Knight said at the time. "It’s almost art. I wasn’t alive to see Claude Monet paint, but I am alive to see Tiger play, and that’s pretty great."
With Woods as the face of its golf line, Nike's growth exploded, becoming a leading global brand in golf apparel behind the popularity of Woods' spikeless shoes. Nike also designed a series of clubs that Woods used, though the company stopped manufacturing clubs and golf balls in 2016.
In recent seasons, Woods has played with TaylorMade clubs, Bridgestone golf balls and, for almost two years, he has worn FootJoy shoes while on the course. Despite that, Woods has continued to wear Nike clothing while playing.
Woods, 48, may return to competitive golf at the Genesis Invitational, which is scheduled to begin Feb. 15 at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California. He's the tournament host at the event and Woods had said he plans to play in one event each month.
Contributing: Adam Woodard and Adam Schupak, Golfweek
veryGood! (53315)
Related
- FC Cincinnati player Marco Angulo dies at 22 after injuries from October crash
- The 'physics' behind potential interest rate cuts
- Florida teachers file federal suit against anti-pronoun law in schools
- Father, stepmother and uncle of 10-year-old girl found dead in UK home deny murder charges
- 2 more escaped monkeys recaptured and enjoying peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in South Carolina
- Hiker rescued after falling 1,000 feet from Hawaii trail, surviving for 3 days
- Illinois State apologizes to Norfolk State after fan shouts racial slur during game
- Bucks, Pacers have confrontation over game ball after Giannis Antetokounmpo scores 64
- LSU student arrested over threats to governor who wanted a tiger at college football games
- With inflation down, people are talking rate cuts. The European Central Bank may say not so fast
Ranking
- To Protect the Ozone Layer and Slow Global Warming, Fertilizers Must Be Deployed More Efficiently, UN Says
- Updating the 'message in a bottle' to aliens: Do we need a new Golden Record?
- Carbon monoxide leak suspected of killing Washington state college student
- Madonna kicks off Celebration tour with spectacle and sex: 'It’s a miracle that I’m alive'
- Vikings' Camryn Bynum celebrates game-winning interception with Raygun dance
- Ex-Tokyo Olympics official pleads not guilty to taking bribes in exchange for Games contracts
- Julia Roberts on where her iconic movie characters would be today, from Mystic Pizza to Pretty Woman
- How Taylor Swift Celebrated Her Enchanting Birthday Without Travis Kelce
Recommendation
-
How Alex Jones’ Infowars wound up in the hands of The Onion
-
A Buc-ee's monument, in gingerbread form: How a Texas couple recreated the beloved pitstop
-
Promising new gene therapies for sickle cell are out of reach in countries where they’re needed most
-
Finland, NATO’s newest member, will sign a defense pact with the United States
-
32 things we learned in NFL Week 10: Who will challenge for NFC throne?
-
Use of Plan B morning after pills doubles, teen sex rates decline in CDC survey
-
Carbon monoxide leak suspected of killing Washington state college student
-
Big pharmacies could give your prescription info to cops without a warrant, Congress finds