Does Dustin Johnson have a new sponsorship deal? LIV golfer spotted wearing FootJoy shoes after split with Adidas
Dustin Johnson was spotted wearing non-Adidas shoes for the first time following the end of a 15-year partnership with the brand.
Johnson was wearing the FootJoy Premiere Series Packard shoes during the practice round of the LIV Golf Orlando that starts on Friday (March 31) at the Orange County National in Orlando, Florida.
In a recent video uploaded by Johnson's team, the 4 Aces GC, he was sporting a FootJoy sneaker.
Packards by FootJoy already have a name associated with them. Tiger Woods still wears FootJoy shoes. His son Charlie was spotted wearing them too last year.
Last month, Dustin Johnson ended a 15-year-long partnership with the leading sports merchandise company in a mutual agreement as per Adidas Golf president Jeff Lienhart.
He said:
"For more than 15 years, Dustin has been a great ambassador for the Adidas brand. We've had a front-row seat to see him win multiple major championships, ascend to the No. 1 ranking and cement himself as one of the best golfers in history – all while wearing the 3-Stripes. We wish Dustin nothing but success moving forward.”
As per ESPN, Johnson wanted to grow the 4 Aces GC brand, and staying with Adidas didn't seem feasible for that goal.
"As good as the relationship with Adidas has been, it just didn't fit in his plans," the source said. "A major part of starting a team is establishing a brand identity and building that brand. The primary asset is the shirt. They want the entire shirt. DJ needed a clean break to start his team. He's grateful to Adidas for letting him out of the deal."
Johnson said ahead of the LIV Golf season opener in Mayakoba:
"We had a great relationship. It's still really good. We mutually agreed on parting ways. It just wasn't working how it was, just with my new - obviously playing for LIV and the way things kind of go"
What next for Dustin Johnson?
Dustin Johnson will be seen at the Orange County Club for the LIV Golf League's third event of the season.
Johnson was the year-end champion for the first season and his team 4Aces GC was also the team portion winner. However, both of them have been winless so far. The betting sites have put their odds on Dustin Johnson this time.
After playing the LIV event, Johnson and several other LIV-associated players will head to Augusta National for the first Major Championship of the year, the 2023 Masters.
Currently ranked 68, the two-time Major champion has a chance of improving his ranking at Augusta National. Notably, Saudi-backed circuit golfers are barred from any ranking points. They are suspended from the PGA Tour and DP World Tour events as well and thus have very few chances of improving their rankings.
It will be interesting to see how the likes of Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Cameron Smith, Bryson DeChambeau, and other LIV-associated professionals fare in the first major of the season.