Tiger Woods is no longer a Nike athlete after 27 years, ending a partnership between Nike and golf’s biggest star and raising questions about the future of both in the sport.
Woods in a social media post thanked Nike co-founder Phil Knight for his “passion and vision” that brought them together when he turned pro.
Mark Steinberg, his agent at Excel Sports, confirmed the end of the deal that began in 1996 when Woods turned pro after winning his third straight U.S. Amateur.
Woods signed a five-year deal worth $40 million when he turned pro. It was shocking money at the time to most in the industry except Nike, and his father. He renewed the deal believed to be worth over $100 million in 2001. His eight-year deal in 2006 was reported to be $160 million, and his latest deal was signed in 2013 for a reported $200 million.
On the golf course, Woods set records as the youngest to win the Grand Slam at age 24, the only player to hold all four major titles at the same time and his 15-shot win at the U.S. Open, the largest margin for a major in golf history.
But there were signs in recent years of a fractured relationship. Woods returned from his February 2021 car crash that shattered bones in his right leg by wearing FootJoy shoes, saying it was a better feel considering his injuries.
Nike stood by him when his personal life imploded in 2009 over extramarital affairs, and when his schedule was reduced greatly because of leg and back injuries. Woods remarkably returned from fusion surgery to win the Masters in 2019, his fifth green jacket.
Nike also has shown signs of slowing its golf business. It decided to get out of the hard goods business in 2016, sending Woods to play different clubs and a different golf ball.
Nike, meanwhile, said in a recent earnings call it planned to cut $2 billion over the next three years, raising questions about how much it would remain invested in golf.
