"That will be his decision” - Tiger Woods’ partner claims there’s a chance 15x Major winner brings back his iconic Nike TW logo
Tiger Woods dropped his iconic logo when he parted ways with Nike at the beginning of the year. The classic "TW" that was on his hat for almost two and a half decades simply ceased to exist, but a partner of Woods' believes that it might not be permanently gone.
As for what happened with the iconic logo, Woods was plain at the debut of Sun Day Red via Golf Magic:
"I don't want it back," he said. "I've moved on. This is a transition in my life. I’ve moved on to Sun Day Red, and we’re looking forward to building a brand that elicits excitement and is transformative."
Sun Day Red president Brad Blinkinship provided an alternative outlook recently:
"That will be his decision. For now, he’s put out there that that’s in his past and he’s ready to move forward. So, I would say time will tell and it will be Tiger’s decision."
The Sun Day Red logo is a different sort of logo, using the name Tiger in reference to the animal as opposed to the golfer's initials. It has become pretty prominent in its own right, though it has more than 20 years to go before it reaches the status that the Nike TW logo was at.
Blinkinship also said that Sun Day Red footwear would be released in 2025, the same year Tiger Woods' TGL league is slated to start up. Whether or not they will have the tiger logo or the TW initials remains to be seen, especially if Woods is as open to a change as Blinkinship alluded to.
Why did Tiger Woods drop Nike?
After 27 years, Tiger Woods ended his partnership with Nike, moving on to eventually create the Sun Day Red line. The two entities had been almost inseparable in the world of golf for nearly three decades. Woods was always seen with the Nike logo on everything, and his own line's logo accentuating it.
Things first began to shift in 2022, when Woods showed up to The Masters Tournament wearing FootJoy shoes. This was the first time the golfer had worn non-Nike shoes on the course, largely owing to his health issues that required unique footwear.
According to HypeBeast, Jordan Rogers, a former marketing director with Nike, called a move like that sacrilege. He added:
“Something got in [Tiger's] brain that a Nike shoe was no longer the thing that made his foot feel right," Rogers said.
Dating even further back, HypeBeast reported that the 2012 advertisement promoting Rory McIlroy as the next Woods might've sparked some unpleasantness. Rogers speculated that Tiger Woods felt like Nike might've been sending a message about his longevity.
“Athletes like Tiger, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady and Kobe Bryant. We love to celebrate them, but they need to create stories to stay motivated,” said Rogers. “As Tiger started to fade, Nike supported him, but at the same time tried to bring on Rory as this passing of the torch. He remembers that stuff.”
Ultimately, as Woods was attempting yet another comeback from injury (this time from major ankle surgery in 2023), he opted to redefine himself with a new brand and move on from Nike.