In a place where the green jacket never goes out of fashion, the sometimes-wild, often-trendy and always-interesting fashion sense of those playing Augusta National has become a viral subplot of competition at the Masters this week. The frontrunner may be Jason Day, playing with Tiger Woods, who wore some baggy-looking slacks from Malabon on Thursday that were reminiscent of the baggy shorts of Michigan basketball’s Fab Five era. Then, on Friday, the former PGA champion slipped into a white vest that read in bold letters across the stomach, “Malbon Golf Championship.”
“Looks like he’s wearing a billboard,” quipped one patron, watching from the shadows. This is exactly the issue. More than any other venue in golf, the Masters is a place to see and be seen, and that’s for the players and their sponsors. So in the last few years, companies providing their apparel have started moving out of the first entire week of April.
“The Masters is a global phenomenon,” said Stephen Malbon, who founded the eponymous brand with his wife Erica in 2017. “The amount of media, the amount of international attention – it’s as big a broadcast as we get.” In fact the Malbon brand looks quite a departure from the traditional country club vibe. It’s like vintage streetwear, and one of the vehicles bringing it to the masses is Day, who wore Nike and Adidas before becoming its ambassador this year.
“I’ve learned that if something isn’t for you, it’s probably for someone else,” said Malbon, who was enjoying reading comments about Day’s wardrobe on social media Friday, including overwhelming praise. From hate to hate and very little in between. “Golf can be very polarizing,” Malbon said, “and different people have different perceptions of what golf should look like.”
Justin Thomas, Eric Van Rooyen and Akshay Bhatia are the ambassadors of Grayson Clothiers, which bills itself as a complete lifestyle brand with subscription options. Her slightly more traditional look is the work of Charlie Schaefer, who once served as senior vice president of design for Ralph Lauren, and who launched the brand at the Masters in 2015.
Victor Hovland, who is running for re-election this year, defeated J. Has an apparel deal with Lindbergh. And when it comes to Masters attire, the Swedish clothing company has decked them out in some bold prints that often pay homage to the home of the year’s first major. This includes the black shirt with the giant azalea on the front that Hovland wore this week. Azaleas, a particular species of rhododendron, are almost synonymous with Augusta National and can be found throughout the course.
Hovland said during last year’s PGA Championship at Oak Hill that he usually wears lighter colors. “I wear a lot of gray, black clothes and that’s about it,” he said. So when he was asked about the outfit during the course, he replied simply: “Well, J. Lindeberg, they give me this stuff and give me money.” To do that, so I just show up and wear what they want me to wear.
In other words: They put it out, he wears it. Of course, there are still plenty of players sponsored by mainstream sports apparel companies. Rory McIlroy still wears Nike, as does world top-ranked player Scottie Scheffler and reigning PGA champion Brooks Koepka. Rising star Ludwig Aberg is among those wearing Adidas gear, and former Masters champion Jordan Spieth is Under Armour’s most famous ambassador, reportedly making eight figures annually on a deal through the 2029 season.
As part of the agreement, Under Armor also donates $1 million annually to the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation. But perhaps the biggest fashion icon in golf has been Tiger Woods, who popularized wearing Sunday Red everywhere from exclusive private clubs to small-town munitions. Woods started doing this when he was a junior because his mother, Kultida, said it was his “power color”. He played well in the raid for the first time and stayed in it because of superstition.
For 27 years, Woods’ Sunday Raid was one of the most successful partnerships in the game. But late last year, the two parties announced they had parted ways, and Woods revealed in February that he would unveil his own brand, called Sun Day Red, in partnership with his golf equipment provider, TaylorMade.
“Sun Day Red reflects the love of playing and competing and we’re among those who share those values, whether it’s on the course or in life,” Woods said in February. “We will be committed to putting the athlete first in our product decisions.”
The public got its first look at it this week at Augusta National. Woods wore a salmon-colored polo in Thursday’s opening round that featured the brand’s logo, a tiger with 15 stripes, a nod to his 15 major wins. Woods was seen wearing gray and white Friday as he returned early to complete his first round and then his second.
It was perfect timing – or genius marketing – as Sun Day Raid would officially launch on May 1st.
