PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Tiger Woods was never going to be a free agent for long.
A few days after the confetti was swept from Times Square, an announcement was made that turned a rumor into reality: Tiger Woods and Nike were parting ways after 27 years. The 15-time major winner and the Swoosh were nearly synonymous, with Woods not only wearing the company’s footwear and apparel but also using Nike clubs and balls until the brand left the equipment world in 2016.
Monday evening, 35 days after parting ways with Nike and just a few miles from Riveria Country Club where he will be hosting the Genesis Invitational and making his 2024 PGA Tour debut this week, Tiger Woods, alongside TaylorMade CEO David Abeles, announced the creation of Sun Day Red, a new lifestyle and golf brand.
Sun Day Red will be under the umbrella of TaylorMade, but is going to operate as a completely separate, stand-alone business. It will have its own designers, staff and headquarters. Brad Blankenship, formerly of Quicksilver and RVCA, has been named the brand’s president.
“We organized a completely separate vertical that is not based in Carlsbad (California, where TaylorMade’s headquarters is located),” Abeles said. “This new brand is not based in Carlsbad. It’s in San Clemente.” Abeles went on to say that there is no influence from TaylorMade on Sun Day Red, and it will have its own identity.
Asked by host Erin Andrews why he chose to take on this project, Woods said, “It’s the right time. It’s the right time in my life. I’m no longer a kid anymore. I have kids, and this is an important transitional part of my life. I can have something that I can be proud of, a brand that I can be proud of going forward.”
Woods’ fans and the golf industry had a strong hint this was coming when word got out on January 20 that three trademarks for a “Sunday Red” were registered through the United States Patent and Trademark Office by TaylorMade Lifestyle Ventures LLC. Woods has been using TaylorMade clubs and has been a partner of the brand since 2017.
Tiger himself teased the announcement and creation of the brand on Saturday, posting a photo on social media on Saturday that was captioned, “A new day rises. 2.12.24”
Throughout the hour-long presentation on Monday evening, Abeles and Woods repeated the idea that Sun Day Red plans to be more than a golf brand. Yes, the company is going to sell polo shirts, pants and hoodies that can be worn on the course. Many of those products were on display Monday night, as were prototype golf shoes, rain jackets, golf gloves and accessories, but Woods and Abeles said many products will be at home at the gym, like the tee shirts, shorts and other pieces of workout apparel shown Monday night. There will be cashmere pieces, shorts and other things that can be worn around town as well.
Asked what the Sun Day Red team has started to do that has Tiger excited, Woods replied, “The way it fits, the way it feels the way it moves. It’s uninhibited, that’s one of the things that I have conveyed to the entire staff. What’s the best garment to play in, well, that’s no garment at all. No seams, nothing restricting you. That’s the way our pieces should fit.”
Sun Day Red will start selling gear to consumers in the United States and Canada beginning May 1 at sundayred.com, with plans to expand to other markets later. Sun Day Red also plans to carry women’s apparel and footwear, followed by boys’ and girls’ products in the future.
Below are several items featured at Monday evening’s launch event.
