The recognizable Sunday red of Tiger Woods is here to stay. There will be a 27-year goodbye to Nike and the introduction of a new golf brand. The 15-time Major winner is reportedly working with TaylorMade, his current equipment sponsor, on his clothing line as well, but under the moniker “Sunday Red,” according to LIV Golf Updates. Clearly, the name is a reference to the classic Nike Red T-shirt that Woods popularized over the past thirty years. According to ESPN, Woods has only worn a different color in the championship rounds three times in his entire career.
It’s interesting to note that Sunday Red originated in 2009, during Woods’ third stint with Nike, according to data from the US Patent and Trademark Office. However, as per the latest sources, TaylorMade has now attempted to introduce the brand.
According to USPTO data, “TaylorMade Lifestyle Ventures LLC” submitted an application for the Sunday Red trademark on December 13, one day prior to the commencement of the PNC tournament. Notably, at the time, Tiger Woods would only say, “I’m still wearing their product,” in response to questions regarding his future with Nike.
According to the official website, TaylorMade’s application is presently being reviewed. However, TaylorMade Lifestyle Ventures LLC’s trademark application was also displayed by USPTO.report, an independent third-party trademark research tool. The redesigned logo, a Tiger Stripes design with the letters “S,” “D,” and “R” printed above and below, is attached to the January 18 submission of the new application with the number 98363643.
The identical application number on the USPTO’s official website indicated that the “data has not been loaded yet” at the time the report was published. Notably, employment advertising on their website stated that TaylorMade was scheduled to launch into the golf gear market. Tiger Woods, too, alluded to a significant statement when he teed off at Riviera, despite quitting Nike. It should be mentioned that the titan of equipment just teamed up with Tiger Woods following Nike’s 2016 closure of its golf equipment division.
Remarkably, a USPTO entry also reveals that on July 22, 2009, less than a week after Tiger Woods missed the cut at the Open Championship, Nike, Inc. filed for a patent on “Sunday Red.” In 2011, the application was likewise withdrawn for unspecified reasons.
Woods was well into his third Nike contract at the time. The multi-million dollar endorsement arrangement with Oregon HQ apparel was extended in 2006, and it continued until 2013, when a fourth and final contract was inked. Remarkably, the 82-time champion of the PGA Tour lost several high-profile sponsors, including AT&T, General Motors, Accenture, and Gillette, in the first part of the previous decade.
There was much conjecture that Woods would go with Greyson Clothiers, a company that had allegedly recruited his son Charlie Woods. Recently, TopGolf’s name was also included. The 82-time PGA Tour champion, though, appears to be taking a different route.
