Tiger Woods Golf,
Tigers Golf Bag
WHAT'S IN TIGER'S BAG?
August 8, 2003
by Bill Hogan
It's hard to believe that so much attention can be paid
to a single piece of sports gear. Tiger's new/old driver
has gotten more press recently than Ben and J-Lo. Not
since Johnny Unitas' high-top cleats has an athlete's
equipment selection been so thoroughly discussed and
analyzed.
Prior to the July 28th made-for-television "Battle
of the Bridges" match-play event, Tiger Woods decided
to pull his $20 million Nike driver out of his golf
bag in favor of his six-year old Titleist 975D.
OK, the driver doesn't retail for anything close to
$20 million. But it's been reported that Tiger is raking
in that much each year to endorse Nike golf equipment
and apparel. So it doesn't bode well for team Swoosh
that he used the Titleist again this past week at the
Buick Open where he finished second.
Something tells me Nike executives are on their knees
thanking the golf gods that Tiger wasn't able to complete
a weekend rally to overtake Buick Champion Jim Furyk.
As it is, the driver change was big news in the golf
world, and bad news for the shoe company's relatively
new golf division.
Nothing says "your equipment stinks" louder
and more convincingly than the world's greatest golfer
taking it out of his bag because he can't hit it. Contrary
to what the Nike spin-doctors are saying, this has got
to be the company's worst nightmare.
What golfer in his or her right mind is going to rush
down to the sporting goods store and spend a couple
of hundred bucks on a driver that even Tiger Woods has
trouble hitting? Not me. Not you. And with the world-wide
publicity "the switch" has produced, nobody
from Japan to Scotland either.
But don't take my word for it. Golfdigest.com is running
a poll that asks "Do you think Nike will see a
significant decrease in driver sales after Tiger Wood's
decision to go back to his Titleist driver?" Over
73% of respondents voted 'Yes'.
When Phil Mickelson suggested that Tiger's "slump"
may be due, in part, to his use of inferior equipment,
the media went berserk on the Major-less lefty. Now
the idea doesn't seem so absurd.
A Nike executive recently pointed out that Tiger has
won many tournaments using their equipment. Well, Tiger
is probably capable of winning tournaments using a garden
hoe and a pool cue. I, on the other hand, need all the
technological help I can get just to break 90. When
I'm shopping around for the next "latest and greatest",
I'll probably stay away from the Nike rack. I'll go
with – oh, I don't know, there are so many brands
to choose from – Titleist perhaps.
Can it get any worse for a sponsor than to have its
premier endorser reveal to the world that there's something
better? Do you think Buick would be mildly upset if
Tiger was seen cruising around in a Cadillac?
I imagine there would be some tense moments in the board
room if Shaq comes down with a severe strain of E.coli
a few hours after filming a new Burger King commercial.
Of course, there might be a spike in the sale of Big
Macs and Happy Meals.
It must have been a coup for American Express to land
Lance Armstrong after winning his fifth straight Tour
de France. But the move could backfire if he puts that
celebratory trip to Disney Land on his Visa card.
And what would we – the consumers - think if it
was discovered that Marion Jones – track star
and Got Milk? Spokesperson – is lactose intolerant?
It wouldn't be good for business to find out that cute
little white mustache was made from a soy substitute.
Next week's PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club
in Rochester, New York is Tiger's last chance to win
a Major in 2003. It's been five years since Tiger was
shut out at all four Majors.
He's sure to show up at Oak Hill with his "A game"
and his trusty old Titleist 975D driver. If he wins,
there will be some that will credit the driver switch.
If he loses, he may decide to toss the Nike irons and
balls out of his bag as well.
Either way, the only time you'll see the Swoosh logo
at a golf course any time soon will be on one of those
nifty short-sleeve, mock-turtle neck shirts that Tiger
wears so well. Maybe $90 million basketball phenom LeBron
James will sell enough sneakers to cover Nike's golf
losses.
Unless he's seen walking around the mall wearing those
spiffy new Adidas cross-trainers.
Tiger Woods Wins
British Open
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