Nike Golf Apparel Scripting For the 2013 Masters

It is a source of fascination to me that golf’s marketing machines have become such well-tuned machines that athletes’ apparel is literally scripted for tournaments. Nike reports it has done this for ten years, and I assume other apparel companies do the same.

I wonder what the fashion consultants would have thought of Jimmy Demaret.

And I am having fun imagining what Ben Hogan would have thought of someone whose job title is “fashion consultant.”

All that said, here’s what Tiger will wear next weekend:

Woods will be wearing a new innovation from Nike Golf’s Tiger Woods Collection. Woods’ passion and competitive spirit fuel the continuous drive to create the most innovative and athletic products in the sport and his apparel pieces exemplify this dedication to innovation. He will be wearing the TW Jacquard Polo in Dark Grey ($80), the TW Modern Color Block Polo in White/Dandelion ($95), the TW Ultra Polo 2.0 in Squadron Blue ($95), and the TW Emboss Polo in Hyper Red ($85). These polos are extremely lightweight and utilize the laser-perforated collar for increased ventilation to keep the athlete cool while also reducing overall weight. Three of the four polos Woods will wear utilize the posture performance chassis which has a kimono style back design to allow Woods an increased range of motion throughout his swing.

And Rory McIlroy:

McIlroy will sport looks from the Nike Tour Performance collection, featuring the latest innovations in lightweight, breathable performance fabrications. He will wear the Fashion Body Map Polo in Violet Force ($70), the Embossed Polo in Stadium Grey ($65), the Iconic Polo in Pink Force ($65), and the Light Weight Heather Polo in Squadron Blue ($60). He will be sporting bold colors each day with color pops in either his polo, trousers or his Nike Lunar Control footwear.

Full press release follows:

Nike Golf Unveils Athlete Looks for the First Major Championship of the Season

-Innovative technology, pattern and colors designed to make the athlete feel and look good-

BEAVERTON, Ore (April 3, 2013) – At the first major championship of the season, Nike Golf athletes will unveil new styles from its Spring 2013 Collection. Each athlete in the field will be “scripted” in new designs that incorporate key technologies such as laser perforations, no-sew technology and ultra-lightweight fabrications.

As the number one golf apparel company in the world, Nike Golf has “scripted” its athletes at Major Championships for over 10 years. “Scripting” is a process in which the Nike Golf Apparel team collaborates with its athletes to select designs that will help them perform and look their best for each competitive round at a Major.

“We work with our athletes up to a year in advance to determine what styles and colors they prefer to compete in at a Major Championship,” said Merritt Richardson, Vice President of Global Apparel and Footwear for Nike Golf. “We share our newest innovations for the season with them and listen to their needs in terms of performance, comfort and style to ensure they are dressed to compete at their highest level.”
Eight Nike Athletes will compete in the first Major championship of the year including Russell Henley, Rory McIlroy, Francesco Molinari, Thorbjorn Olesen, Carl Pettersson, Charl Schwartzel, Nick Watney and Tiger Woods.
Here’s what McIlroy, Olesen, Schwartzel and Woods will be highlighting:

McIlroy will sport looks from the Nike Tour Performance collection, featuring the latest innovations in lightweight, breathable performance fabrications. He will wear the Fashion Body Map Polo in Violet Force ($70), the Embossed Polo in Stadium Grey ($65), the Iconic Polo in Pink Force ($65), and the Light Weight Heather Polo in Squadron Blue ($60). He will be sporting bold colors each day with color pops in either his polo, trousers or his Nike Lunar Control footwear.

Making his Masters debut, Olesen will wear looks from the Sport Collection and the Nike Tour Performance Collection. He will wear the Nike Swing Polo in Electric Yellow ($60), the Core Body Mapping Polo in white ($65), the Sport Gingham Novelty Polo in Light University Red Heather ($70), and the Nike Victory Polo in Poison Green ($50). He will finish his looks with the Nike Flat Bill Tour Cap ($30) and the Nike Lunar Control footwear.

Schwartzel will be debuting classic colors and designs from the Tour Premium Collection at the season’s first major. He will wear the Premium Stripe Polo in Midnight Turquoise ($100), the Premium Nike Precision Polo in Dynamic Pink ($85), the Premium Novelty Pocket Polo in Neo Turquoise ($90), and the Premium ½-Zip Plaid Polo in Black ($100). Schwartzel will complete his look with the Nike Lunar Control footwear.

Woods will be wearing a new innovation from Nike Golf’s Tiger Woods Collection. Woods’ passion and competitive spirit fuel the continuous drive to create the most innovative and athletic products in the sport and his apparel pieces exemplify this dedication to innovation. He will be wearing the TW Jacquard Polo in Dark Grey ($80), the TW Modern Color Block Polo in White/Dandelion ($95), the TW Ultra Polo 2.0 in Squadron Blue ($95), and the TW Emboss Polo in Hyper Red ($85). These polos are extremely lightweight and utilize the laser-perforated collar for increased ventilation to keep the athlete cool while also reducing overall weight. Three of the four polos Woods will wear utilize the posture performance chassis which has a kimono style back design to allow Woods an increased range of motion throughout his swing.

Francesco Molinari

Nick Watney

Russell Henley