Brooks Koepka’s striking new Nike golf shoes originated with a bizarre request from the PGA Tour star

According to Nike, back in November 2017, PGA Tour star Brooks Koepka made a curious request to the company’s golf shoe designers. He wanted them to make him a golf shoe that he could also wear while doing a very different activity, with very different demands: running.

Had any other player asked the same thing, we’d all raise an eyebrow, except for maybe Tiger Woods. But it all makes sense coming from Koepka, who exemplifies the modern super-athlete golfer and looks just as natural in the gym as on the driving range.

The resulting shoe Nike’s designers came up with is the Air Zoom Infinity Tour, which Koepka debuted in the first round of the European Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on Thursday. His pair are white towards the front, with a black heel, red slash, and a neon yellow swoosh.

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The new golf shoes feature design nods to several Nike designs from other sports, like Nike Zoom Strobel technology and moderator plate from Kevin Durant’s KD12 basketball shoe, and weather-resistant Nike Flyknit material from Nike Soccer’s Mercurial Superfly and Vapor 360 Boots models.

While the shoes also contain Nike React foam from Nike Running’s React Infinity Run Flyknit shoe, they are not designed to be worn for long runs. Instead, the running-shoe elements were weaved into the design to increase comfort, cushioning and energy return on the golf course.

Though Koepka wore the new Air Zoom Infinity Tour shoes in the opening round in Abu Dhabi, he switched to a different pair for the second round, likely the Nike Tour Premiere model he wore previously. For what it’s worth, the four-time major champ shot a sparkling 66 in the new shoes on Thursday, then struggled to a 75 on Day 2 with his old kicks.

The Nike Air Zoom Infinity Tour golf shoes go on sale April 1 on Nike.com. You can check out more photos of the new shoes below.

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