AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory McIlroy came to this year’s Masters in search of his first green jacket. On Wednesday, during his final pre-tournament practice round, he wore a green shirt.
McIlroy hit balls on the range Thursday before heading to the course alongside Masters rookie Matt Wallace. But it was the orange logo on his shirt that caught the eye of many viewers. In place of the iconic Nike Swoosh was an orange — rectangle? And he wore a red pin on his collar, too. This was a new look for McIlroy. What does it mean?
Upon closer inspection, McIlroy’s shirt actually did bear the Swoosh. The logo on his shirt was a Nike shoe box, colored orange to match the trim by the buttons on his collar.
The shirt is part of Nike’s customized Masters push. Tiger Woods drew some attention when he showed up at his Tuesday presser with an orange logo of his headcover, Frank the Tiger, adorning his chest. Nike’s new polo line allows for customization when it comes to that logo.
The shoebox, meanwhile, may be a nod to Nike’s new majors-themed shoe lines. McIlroy’s gold-plated spikes made some waves during his Players Championship win, and Nike has plenty more in store throughout the week. Their lineup of green-and-yellow Masters-themed shoes was released earlier this month, including a particularly popular pair of Jordans.
As for McIlroy’s red pin? That’s a special “Player pin” given to Masters participants upon registration. Everybody gets one. McIlroy is Player No. 60 for the week; his caddie Harry Diamond will wear the No. 60 on his caddie jumpsuit, too.
McIlroy, the favorite to win this year’s event, tees off alongside Rickie Fowler and Cameron Smith at 11:15 a.m. Thursday.
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