Jason Day has produced a number of eye-catching performances so far in 2024, including top-10 finishes in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Genesis Invitational and Wells Fargo Championship, but it’s not just his form that has been striking - his clothing has also created plenty of talking points.
The Australian became an ambassador for apparel brand Malbon Golf at the beginning of the year after almost a decade with Nike. However, if his early appearances sporting the typically looser fitting streetwear style of the company created ripples, it exploded at April’s Masters.
There, his baggy pants caused a sensation on social media, while his bold vest with No.313 and the words 'Malbon Golf Championship' unapologetically emblazoned on it was all too much for the staid traditionalists of Augusta National, who asked him to take it off.
Nevertheless, the talking points the unconventional attire raised appeared to be manna from heaven for Malbon, who wrote on social media: "Looks like that time for folks to get mad over clothes again."
Day also saw the funny side, commenting after his second round of the Major: “If it's down breeze, these things puff up pretty quick."
Over five months on from that storm of publicity, Day has no regrets over his decision to team up with the brand. In an exclusive interview with Golf Monthly, he said: “It’s been great for me. The guys on tour sometimes aren’t used to the look, but I think it’s awesome.
“It’s been tremendous being a part of their team. Obviously, they’re very new to the golfing world – 2017 is when they first started everything.
“They’ve got a big footprint in Korea and they’re really getting things going around here, so it’s kind of nice to be able to come out to an event and wear something that no one else is wearing, which is great.”
The brand hasn’t just signed up Day, with other pros, including Charley Hull, joining the fold. That suggests that, despite the stir its clothing has caused, Malbon Golf is here to stay, and Day reassured fans of the unique style that there is far more in the pipeline.
“It’s also so nice to listen to Steve [Malbon] and hear his vision for where he wants to take it," he said. "It’s going to be exciting times going forward because I’m going to wear, not crazy stuff, but it’s crazy for the golf world. But it looks very, very good.”
Regardless of what he wears on the course, the 13-time PGA Tour winner also revealed he still has plenty of ambition to achieve more success in the game. He said: “I’ve finished second in all of the Majors now and have won one of them. Now my goal is to get the wins in all of them.”
That challenge will begin again at next year’s Masters, but before that, his next appearance will come at the Presidents Cup, albeit wearing the uniform of the International Team rather than the head-turning clothing of Malbon.
Earlier in the month, Day auctioned his Masters vest and it sold for $18,000, a figure that the Australian matched, with the proceeds going to his Brighter Days Foundation.
