Schauffele latest to make brand change as doubt cast over Woods' Nike future
Xander Schauffele appears to have parted ways with Adidas Golf, in the latest apparel switch-up on the PGA Tour.
Schauffele signed with Adidas back in 2018, fresh off the back of being named the PGA Tour's Rookie of The Year. Since then, the Olympic champion has become one of the brand's most recognisable golfers on the PGA Tour, donning the Adidas badge on his cap, shirt and shoes.
Ahead of the beginning of the 2024 PGA Tour season though, the 30-year-old has arrived at The Sentry Tournament without the iconic three stripes on his chest.
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Instead Schauffele was pictured wearing Descente upon his arrival in Hawaii, a brand also sported by former Masters champion Danny Willett, as well as LPGA Tour star Danielle Kang. Schauffele's decision to walk away from Adidas comes at a time where rivals Nike could also be set to lose their biggest name.
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In recent months reports have suggested that 82-time PGA Tour winner Tiger Woods could well be set to end his iconic 27-year relationship with Nike. During his time as arguably golf's greatest ever player, Woods has become synonymous with the swoosh, announcing himself as one of Nike's most recognisable athletes.
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Tiger Woods could be set to walk away from Nike GolfThe 15-time major winner's last deal with the brand was signed back in 2013, with the 10-year contract worth a reported £158 million ($200m). This deal of course expired following the end of 2023, and there has been no update on whether this has been extended into 2024.
Woods - who has donned the Nike swoosh out on the golf course since 1996 - shocked the world of golf upon his return at the 2022 Masters, by opting to wear FootJoy shoes for his first event in a year-and-a-half at Augusta National.
Woods had not featured on the Tour for some time, after suffering career-threatening injuries in a car crash in February 2021. His comeback finally came at the Masters, where he opted to swap out his Nike shoes, citing the added comfort FootJoy provided on his injured right leg as the key reason.
“I have very limited mobility now," the five-time green jacket winner claimed at the time. "Just with the rods and plates and screws that are in my leg, I needed something different, something that allowed me to be more stable. That's what I've gone to.”
His last outing came at last month's PNC Championship, where he teamed up with son Charlie in the parent-child event. Woods did opt to wear Nike clothing during the tournament in Florida, and when quizzed on his future with the swoosh claimed: "I’m still wearing their product."
If Woods does walk away from Nike in 2024, he would not be the first after Jason Day arrived at The Sentry this week donning a new brand. Day had been a Nike athlete since 2016, but it appears the brand deal has come to an end with the Australian donning Malbon Golf apparel in Hawaii this week.
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