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via Reuters

via Reuters

Off the course, Tiger Woods has been raking the headlines due to his rumored deal fracture with the billion-dollar Nike. Speculations have claimed that the golfer’s decade-long partnership with the swoosh is going to end soon, based on how Woods hasn’t been seen using any of the brand’s apparel on the greens lately.

As these speculations take shape, some more startling updates about the extension of the brand have taken the spotlight. After facing the driver dilemma years ago, what is Nike Golf planning to do next? Is a comeback in the works? Or a complete shutdown?

Is Nike Golf coming back strong or bidding adieu to the golf world?

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Years ago, Nike Golf took an unexpected decision to exit the golf hardware market. The exit was linked to a drop in revenues, with a staggering $90 million decline in 2016. The reports claimed that the downfall of Nike Golf was all because the billion-dollar company had failed to produce a driver like its competitors, Callaway, TaylorMade, Titleist, and Ping, who captured the attention and loyalty of golfers.

Despite that, however, the company kept producing golf apparel and continued partnering up with golfers, adding the likes of Brooks Koepka and Tony Finau to its existing team of Woods, Michelle Wie West, and others. And now, years after its partial exit, it seems like the brand is once again witnessing a revamp. Its latest move, however, isn’t exactly a return or an exit.

As per TWLEGION’s recent update, “Nike Golf is apparently not shutting down in ‘24 – but its golf apparel division is going to be run through Srixon / Cleveland is my understanding. So regardless of the situation with Tiger, operational changes are coming to Nike Golf next year.”

The tweet does not provide clarity on whether the divisional move will further look into stepping back into the equipment side of golf, and it seems like only time will tell. Irrespective of what happens, one thing is certain: changes are undoubtedly coming Tiger Woods’s way, thanks to the uncertainty with Nike. This has caused a butterfly effect in the golf world!

The ripple effects the golf world is seeing; thanks to Tiger Woods and Nike’s alleged split

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With Woods’s Nike contract allegedly ending, rumors have been afloat that other Nike athletes were considering changes to their apparel sponsor as well, with the likes of TWspot reporting on the same through its recent Instagram story. Surprisingly, that’s not the only side effect of the downward spiral of the Woods and Nike deal!

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There have also been claims about the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), TaylorMade, exploring the possibility of launching its own apparel brand, thus perhaps capitalizing on Nike’s fall and adding to their list of many golfers under their wing, and even extending their relationship with the 15-time major winner beyond just an equipment sponsor.

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It is clear a lot remains to unfold in the golf world regarding the Woods-Nike saga. As the golf world looks to try and make sense of these fast-coming changes, tune in to see what happens next!

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