Next time Tiger Woods turns up in Sunday red, his trademark look might have a new trademark behind it.
In online filings that have caught the eye of golf fans and fashionistas alike, trademark applications for a Sunday Red brand have been submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) by TaylorMade Lifestyle Ventures LLC.
Word of the filings was first reported by the X account @LIVGolfUpdates.
Stitch that news together with other recent developments and you’ve got the makings of a high-profile pairing: it appears that Woods and TaylorMade have an apparel deal in place.
Woods already plays TaylorMade clubs. But an opportunity to expand his ties to the company opened earlier this month, when the 15-time major champion announced that he was parting ways with longtime sponsor, Nike, whose swoosh Woods has brandished since his famous “Hello, world” press conference in 1996, just before his pro debut on Tour.
News of the Tiger-Nike split prompted widespread speculation that a clothing partnership with TaylorMade was in the works. TaylorMade itself added to the buzz in advance of Woods’ recent appearance on the podcast, Fore Play, by retweeting a Fore Play promo along with the caption: ‘Stay tuned.’
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Now, there is paperwork to support the hype. A search of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website turns up four applications by TaylorMade for Tiger-related trademarks. One shows the outline of a leaping Tiger. Another pairs the leaping-Tiger image with the letters SDR. Two others spell out the words Sunday Red. All are for “goods and services” that range from clothing, pants and shorts to eyewear, luggage purses and wallets. All of the applications are listed as “live,” meaning that they are awaiting examination.
If the applications lead to where they seem to be heading, the world’s most famous golfer may soon have a new look. Woods has been wearing red on Sundays since his amateur days, prior to signing with Nike. He has said the color choice was inspired by his mother, Kutilda, who told him that red symbolized strength.
Woods wears crimson well and has rarely strayed from it on Sundays. According to ESPN, only three times in Woods’ professional career has he played a final round in a color other than red.
Will he soon be wearing red but with a different logo? Time will tell. Woods’ next scheduled appearance is at the Genesis Invitational, in mid-February.