Tiger Woods practices on April 5, 2022, before the start of the 2022 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.
Brian Spurlock | Icon Sportswire | Getty Images
Tiger Woods and TaylorMade have made it official. The golf great has agreed to create a new performance and lifestyle apparel and footwear brand with the Carlsbad, California-based company following his recent split with Win.
The brand, Sun Day Red, will first be available online only starting in May. “Life changes and this is a major transition and I wanted to have a brand I was proud of going forward,” Tiger said.
Woods says the brand name “Sun Day Red” is a tribute to the fact that he always wears red on Sundays. The tiger logo is a tribute to the 15 majors he has worn during his career.
TaylorMade and Woods announced the news Monday night during a press event in Pacific Palisades, Calif., ahead of the PGA Tour’s Genesis Invitational, an event hosted by.
“It’s the right time,” Woods said, appearing in a cashmere sweater from the new brand.
Tiger Woods partners with TaylorMade to launch ‘Sun Day Red’ lifestyle and performance brand.
Ethan Gulley/Sun Day Red
Woods’ relationship with TaylorMade dates back to 2017, when the two signed an equipment deal that sees him play with the brand’s driver, fairway woods, irons and wedges.
Woods said he was courted by other companies, but trusted TaylorMade for their ability to “do it right.”
TaylorMade CEO David Abeles said Woods has been an inspiration to his team, including his discipline and meticulous approach to product design.
The new brand includes an entirely new company with a separate headquarters and employees focused solely on its growth, Abeles said.
“There is no influence from TaylorMade on this brand. Its brand stands on its own and is independent of TaylorMade,” Abeles said.
Last month, Woods announced his split from longtime partner Nike after 27 years. Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, told CNBC at the time that the golfer made a business decision not to renew with Nike.
The 15-time major league winner’s brand exposure today is less than it once was at the height of his career. Woods has struggled with a number of injuries since his 2021 car crash near Los Angeles, in which he suffered multiple leg injuries. Since then, the 48-year-old has made rare appearances in major golf tournaments and his game has been erratic.
However, the deal is still a major win for TaylorMade. Woods still has a lasting legacy, experts say, and continues to draw huge crowds as fans hope to catch a glimpse of one of the greatest golfers of all time.
“Michael Jordan is still Michael Jordan and Air Jordans are still doing very well,” said Eric Smallwood, president of Apex Marketing Group, citing the basketball Hall of Famer for comparison.
Apex has monitored Woods’ brand exposure throughout his career. Smallwood said the golfer’s deal with TaylorMade would be a “huge boost” for her brand.
While Woods may be seen less often on the golf course, he has taken ownership of a new technology-focused indoor golf league with Rory McIlroy called TGL. That’s expected to launch next year and has a broadcast deal on ESPN, which could be a big boost for TaylorMade.
Speculation surrounding a Woods-TaylorMade partnership has swirled for months. TaylorMade formed a new LLC called TaylorMade Lifestyle Ventures last March, according to Josh Gerben, a trademark attorney at Gerben Law. Then, in June, the company began filing trademarks, including SUNDAY REDa logo for SUNNY RED, a tiger logo and one tiger logo with letters S, D, R.
Gerben told CNBC that it’s possible that TaylorMade filed the LLC as a way to provide Woods with equity in the new company.
“I thought it was an incredibly unique build,” he said. “In an athlete sponsorship deal, very rarely do you see a new entity being created just to own it.”
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