Weekly | Tiger and TaylorMade's New Brand, Rory's Global Tour Takes Shape, and LIV's Chairman Faces Legal Woes
Al-Rumayyan Confronts a $74M Lawsuit Amid Allegations of Malicious Orders from Bin Salman, since Woods and TaylorMade Team Up for a New Era of Golf Gear: Sunday Red and Rory Takes Center Stage
Alright, golf enthusiasts!
The golf industry continues to buzz with news. We’ve squeezed out the best bits and served them up in a delightful juice, prepared with motherly love.
Our committed team of writers has combed through 35+ industry publications, more than 40 general news sites, a dozen newsletters, and a selection of top-tier podcasts. Now, everything is right here, so you’ll need less just 10 minutes to get up to speed on the past week’s events.
By the time you finish reading this newsletter, you’ll gain insights on the following topics:
The new brand that Tiger Woods and TaylorMade are set to launch together.
The impact that the Solheim Cup is beginning to have on the Spanish economy and women’s golf.
An intriguing operation by Troon to expand their events business.
The expansion into France by the leader in second-hand equipment sales.
All the details known about the new global calendar that Rory advocates for together with the legal issues faced by the president of LIV.
📈 Sunday Red Reboot: Tiger Woods’ New Look with TaylorMade
Alright, so it looks like all those doubts are already starting to clear up, and us fans of Tiger’s Sunday red polos can keep on enjoying the ritual. Cool, right?
Tiger Woods’ iconic Sunday red attire may soon have a new brand behind it. TaylorMade Lifestyle Ventures LLC has filed trademark applications for a “Sunday Red” brand with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. This follows Woods’ recent split from long-time sponsor, Nike, sparking speculation about a clothing partnership with TaylorMade, a company Woods already has ties with through his golf clubs.
Documents first unearthed by NUCLR Golf reveal that on January 18, 2024, TaylorMade Lifestyle Ventures LLC filed four trademark applications related to Woods. Each application intriguingly features a potential new logo for ‘Sunday Red’. Woods’ new attire may be revealed at his next appearance at the Genesis Invitational in mid-February.
The USPTO website reveals four live applications by TaylorMade for Tiger-related trademarks, including a leaping Tiger image, the letters SDR, and the words Sunday Red. These trademarks cover a range of goods and services, from clothing to eyewear and luggage.
Woods, known for his Sunday red attire since his amateur days, may soon sport a new look. The color choice, inspired by his mother’s belief in red symbolizing strength, has been a constant in Woods’ career, with only three instances of him wearing a different color in a final round.
✅ Solheim Cup continues to boost Spain and women’s golf
The Solheim Cup, hosted in Spain, was the country’s largest ever women’s sporting event, and it continues to draw visitors to the Finca Cortesín course in the Costa del Sol. The event has also sparked regional investment interest. Hugo Costa, from the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, has spoken with organisers, and revealed significant figures about the event’s impact.
More than 65,000 people attended the event, over half of whom were from abroad. The tournament was covered by more then 450 accredited journalists from around 200 outlets, and it reached a global television audience of 452 million homes.
Reflecting on the event, tournament promoter Iñigo Aramburu considers it a great investment in sports. The event’s greatest legacy, however, is that it is expected to inspire a new generation of girls to pursue golf, inspired by the example of local player Carlotta Ciganda, who clinched the Cup for Europe on the final day.
📌Troon Acquiring Eventive Sports to Expand its Business
Troon, the leading golf management company, has acquired Eventive Sports, a sports marketing and event management firm based in Alabama. This acquisition will enhance Troon's event division, Troon Events.
Eventive Sports, established in 1996, has a rich history of managing over 250 major sports events across 35 states and three countries. Their portfolio includes PGA TOUR events, USGA U.S. Senior and Women’s Opens, The World Games 2022, and numerous NCAA National Championships.
Post-acquisition, Eventive Sports will retain its Birmingham office and continue managing its existing events. Troon Events, established in 2022, organizes flagship events at luxury resorts worldwide, including the upcoming Cobra Puma Golf Pro-Am at Pebble Beach Resort in February 2024.
Some extra swins:
Post pandemic surge reported in women taking up golf. Sydney Page of the Washington Post has reported on the surge of women taking up golf in the US since the global pandemic. Between 2020 and 2022, more than 800k women took up the sport, an increase of 15%. The male increase for the same period was just 2%. There are myriad reasons for this dramatic rise, according to Page. Some turned to the sport because of the mental health benefits it offered during the pandemic. The corresponding increase in remote working also meant that women found they had more leisure time than previously. And social media has also played its part, especially among millennials and those from Gen Z. Professional golfers and influencers have gained huge armies of online followers. The report notes the role that off-golf course entertainment venues such as driving ranges and indoor simulators have played in popularizing the sport among women. They are cheaper, and less expensive than playing a full round of golf.
Sports stars invest in Woods and McIlroy project. Manchester City and England player John Stones and Formula One driver Alex Albon have joined with NBA star Steph Curry in investing in a franchise in the high-tech golf competition which is the brainchild of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. They are part of the investor group that has acquired a stake in the San Francisco team that will compete in the inaugural TGL next year.
Golfbidder opens French fulfillment center. The prominent 25-year-old retailer of pre-owned golf gear in the UK and Canada has recently launched a verification and fulfillment center in France. This new operation aims to enhance customer experience by offering competitive pricing and expedited shipping, catering to the rapidly expanding European market. Golfbidder, with its headquarters in Surrey, UK, runs specialized websites for various countries including the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden, and Finland.
Golf Genius announces UKGF Partnership. This will allow UKGF members to leverage Golf Genius’ expertise and solutions in a way that best suits their needs. Pioneers in the cloud-based golf software solutions space, Golf Genius is already utilized in over 300 UK golf facilities, including several UKGF member clubs.
Fairway Features:
7% pay rise recommended for UK golf club staff. The Committee for Golf Club Salaries (CGS) has recommended a 7% increase in the salaries for UK golf club staff in 2024, and 9% for assistant greenkeepers. The increases factor in the rise in the National Living Wage, the prevailing economic environment, inflationary pressures, and the importance of club staff to the golf industry nationally.
It should be noted that the CGS acts in an advisory capacity only. The body hopes that golf club staff will use their recommendations as the basis for fruitful discussions with their senior management teams as to their salaries and employee benefits.
Luxury Scottish complex by Trump family reports its first profits.Trump Turnberry, the luxury golf complex in Ayrshire that includes three golf courses and a hotel, was bought by the former President and his family in 2014 for US $60 million.
⏳PGA Tour, LIV and stuff…
Al-Rumayyan, LIV Chairman, Faces $74M Lawsuit Over Alleged Malicious Orders from Bin Salman
Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the chairman of LIV Golf, is facing a US $ 74 million lawsuit filed by the former head of the Saudi intelligence service, Dr Saad Aljabri. The suit, revealed by The Athletic’s journalist Adam Crafton, alleges that Al-Rumayyan, at the behest of Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS), the country’s ruler, conducted an orchestrated campaign against Aljabri and his family, which included wrongful kidnapping and the misappropriation of private property.
Aljabri was ousted from his job by bin Salman and subsequently fled Saudi Arabia, first going to Turkey, before ending up in Canada. Those family members who remained in Saudi have suffered in his absence, with two of his children detained in 2020 for security reasons.
These allegations bring up fresh concerns for the English football Premier League, which sanctioned the acquisition of Newcastle United by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) only after obtaining what they referred to as “legally binding assurances” that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would not have control over the club. The extent of independence between PIF and the Saudi government has been a subject of scrutiny in the past, particularly because the chairman of PIF’s board is MBS.
The news comes at the same time as PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan traveled to Saudi Arabia as talks continue on ending the bitter dispute with LIV Golf, according to a report in the Sports Business Journal.
🧭 All roads lead to… Rory´s Global Tour
All roads lead to Rome… And it seems that all roads are leading to the fall of the Roman (PGA Tour) Empire and the rise of a Saudi-global empire. This has been the week where everyone has been talking about Rory’s dream: a peace that reunifies the world of golf. Here’s a quick update on everything that has been said and published on the subject.
Before the DP World Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic, Rory McIlroy expressed his optimism for a potential agreement between Saudi Arabia’s PIF, the PGA Tour, and the DP World Tour. He envisions this deal paving the way for a future in golf that resembles the structure of the Champions League in football. However, McIlroy voiced his concerns about golf being “fractured forever” if the involved parties fail to reach a consensus.
With the PGA Tour’s current revenues at about $2.3 billion, Rory proposed that the key to increasing this figure to four or six billion lies in adopting a more international perspective and broadening their horizons. He emphasized the need to ensure that the most significant tournaments are held in America, given its prominence in the golf world. However, he also advocated for elevating other tournaments worldwide, highlighting potential opportunities in the Middle East, Continental Europe, the U.K. and Ireland, and the Far East, including countries like Japan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, and South Africa.
He proposes a premier tour that serves as the pinnacle, with all other tours acting as feeders, similar to the football leagues’ relationship with the Champions League. This structure would necessitate players to qualify and retain their positions. McIlroy underscores the importance of a global strategy, providing players around the world the chance to ascend through the ranks. He suggests that hosting a tournament in a country like India, featuring the world’s top 70 or 80 golfers, could drastically alter the game’s perception and unlock global opportunities.
Adam Scott shared similar concerns, fearing that the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) could become “irrelevant” if it doesn’t adopt a more global approach. Scott, who will play a significant role in shaping golf’s future as a Player Director on the PGA Tour’s Policy Board, hopes to be the “international voice in the room” during ongoing discussions.
Keith Pelley, the Chief Executive of the DP World Tour, is committed to finalizing a deal between the PGA Tour, PIF, and DP World Tour before he leaves his position.
Patrick Cantlay, another influential figure in these discussions, “cares deeply” about his responsibility to help broker a deal between the PGA Tour and PIF. He is committed to securing the best possible deal for current and future players.
More info:
The position of the PGA Tour in the new ecosystem, by Gary Van Sickle in The First Call.
The likelihood of Rory McIlroy’s dream scenario, by Derek Clements in Golfshake.
The key point to get a deal done quickly, by John Huggan in Golf Digest.
🚩Lydia Ko Kicks Off the Year with a Bang, Clinching Her 20th LPGA Victory
The 2024 season has kicked off in the best possible way for New Zealander Lydia Ko, who emerged as the first winner of the year at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, the tournament that brings together the champions of LPGA tournaments from the past two years. Ko, who had a winless 2023, finished with a score of -14 and a controlled round of 70 strokes, enough to lift the trophy. Fans are eagerly anticipating the 74th season of the LPGA Tour, curious to see if the unpredictability that marked last year will continue. Lilia Vu begins the year as the world number one, but the American golfer faces stiff competition as she strives to retain her title.
And as we wrap up, don’t miss these…
4 must-experience reads and watches for the week!
📽️ The Official Film of the 2023 Open Championship is now available on YouTube. | 53m 24s
🎬 LIV Golf’s Majesticks GC (Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Henrik Stenson´s team) launches ‘Camp Confidential’ docuseries in Youtube | 36m 38s
🎩 Kira Kanwar, the chair of Stanton University’s golf department and a kinesiologist specialized in injuries caused by the golf swing, provides for The Golf Business an intriguing exploration of the history of golf outfits. You can find more about her on her website Your Golf Guru. | 10m 4s
💡 Jared Doerfler, from the must-read weekly newsletter Perfect Putt, examines the R&D expenditures of Callaway and Acushnet, questioning if it’s sufficient. | 5min.
🎗 Our colleague Geoff Shackelford from The Quadrilateral has graciously saved us some time by compiling an excellent summary of the top content published about the passing of the unforgettable Jacke Burke.
That’s all for today.
Have a nice week!!!