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In recent months, there’s been plenty of speculation Tiger Woods was on the verge of ending his long-running endorsement deal with Nike. Now, those rumors have been confirmed by the man himself.
When Tiger Woods turned pro in 1996, Nike wasted no time swooping in to sign the 20-year-old (who had already made quite the name for himself on the amateur circuit) to a five-year contract that was reportedly worth $40 million.
It was a bit of a gamble for the company, but it quickly paid off. Tiger was rocking the brand’s signature swoop when he won his first green jacket at The Masters in truly dominating fashion the following year and continued to don its apparel on the course while pursuing one of the most legendary careers the golf world has ever seen.
That partnership with Nike has lasted for close to three decades, but in 2023, rumors began to swirl concerning a potential divorce. Tiger’s decision to rock Footjoys at a tournament was a big red flag for plenty of people, and the fact that his son Charlie recently signed an endorsement deal with another company seemed to suggest a split was fairly imminent.
On Monday, Woods confirmed that is indeed the case when he took to social media to announce his time with Nike has come to an end while thanking the company (and founder Phil Knight) for what they were able to achieve during their lengthy run together.
Woods added “there will certainly be another chapter,” and while he’s firmly in the twilight of his career, it’s safe to assume there are plenty of competing brands out there who will kill to link up with him.
While Nike hasn’t commented on the matter of as this writing, there have also been rumblings it’s been looking to exit the golf space entirely (as well as suggestions it may end up falling under the umbrella of the Jordan brand), so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how things play out.