Tiger Woods and Nike Part Ways After 27 Years

For nearly three decades, the most iconic sight in golf has been Tiger Woods on a Sunday wearing a red shirt always emblazoned with the same logo: the Nike swoosh.

That relationship is now over after 27 years, ending one of the most prominent endorsement deals in sports.

In a statement posted to X, Woods wrote that his time with Nike has been “filled with so many amazing moments and memories” and thanked Phil Knight, the company’s co-founder.

“People will ask if there is another chapter,” the 15-time major champion wrote. “Yes, there will certainly be another chapter.”

Nike, in a statement, called Woods “one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen” and wished him the best in the future.

“Throughout the course of our partnership, we have witnessed along with the rest of the world, how Tiger not only redefined the sport of golf, but broke barriers for all of sport,” Nike said.

Woods had been with Nike since he turned pro in 1996, and in 2000 the company gave him a deal reportedly worth over $100 million—then the richest sponsorship deal ever for an athlete, and one of many pacts between the sides.

Notably, Nike stood by Woods even when his career was rocked by scandal. Reports of Woods’s extramarital affairs in 2009 prompted many major companies to end their endorsement deals with Woods, but not Nike.

Woods also stuck with the swoosh. When Nike got out of the golf-equipment business in 2016, Woods found new clubs to use but continued to wear the company’s gear on the course.

The split raises immediate questions about who will next partner with Woods, 48 years old. One rumored company took itself out of the running Monday when On Holding Co-Chief Executive Marc Maurer said the Swiss footwear and apparel company wouldn’t be signing Woods.

Woods has competed only sparingly since the 2021 crash, and he missed most of last year after undergoing another ankle surgery. He recently said he hoped to increase his tournament load to once a month.

Get More of our proprietary news and analysis as MoneyCentral is now on WhatsApp Channels  Follow the MoneyCentral Nigeria channel on WhatsApp: Click here!