BREAKING: PGA Tour’s Jason Day leads rumored Nike sponsorship exodus
The rumored exodus from Nike Golf's sponsorship catalog may be taking shape, with Jason Day opening the exit door. The Australian has been sponsored by Nike since 2017.
Jason Day, on this Monday, January 1, became the first PGA Tour player to be sponsored by Malbon Golf. The news was reported by the journalist of the PGA Tour news service, Sean Martin.
"New year means new gear. Former Nike ambassador Jason Day will be the first Malbon ambassador on TOUR," Martin wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Nike sponsors a wide range of players who are among the best in the world. The most relevant case is Tiger Woods, who the company has sponsored since his professional start in 1996.
In addition to Jason Day, other important figures in the Nike catalog are Rory McIlroy, Tony Finau and Tommy Fleetwood, all members of the PGA Tour. On the LPGA Tour, Nelly Korda stands out, while Brooks Koepka plays in LIV Golf.
Jason Day signed a sponsorship contract with Nike in 2016, effective from the beginning of 2017. Details of the deal were not disclosed, but ESPN reported at the time that Day (the then-top-ranked golfer in the world) would receive $10 million per season.
Malbon Golf is a relatively new company, having been founded in 2017. The brainchild of Stephen and Erica Malbon, it identifies itself on its official website as a "lifestyle brand inspired by the game of golf."
The company is based in Los Angeles and has collaborated with FootJoy, TaylorMade and Nike.
What the 2022-2023 season was like for Jason Day
Jason Day has had a career-high 13 PGA Tour victories, including the 2015 PGA Championship and The PLAYERS Championship in 2016. At that time he reached the number one world ranking.
After the 2018 season, the Australian went five years without a win on the PGA Tour. In 2023, he returned to the winner's circle by taking home the title at the AT&T Byron Nelson. This is a doubly special tournament for him, as it was his first victory on the circuit (2010).
But the 2022-2023 season was a career resurgence for Day, not only because of his victory. The Australian finished in another 12 Top 25s, including seven Top 10s and a second place at The Open Championship.
In the other three majors, he was not the same, as he finished T39 in The Masters and was cut in the PGA Championship and the US Open. Nevertheless, these results placed him in the Top 50 of the FedEx Cup and the Top 20 (19th) of the Official World Golf Ranking.
Day closed the season by teaming up with Kiwi Lydia Ko to play in and win the Grant Thornton Invitational, an unofficial tournament co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour.