The Tiger Woods-Nike Fractured Legacy Takes Another Snub Through Nick Dunlap’s Rumored Past

The end of a 27-year-long partnership! The golf world has been able to witness an iconic collaboration between the likes of Tiger Woods and Nike ever since they joined hands in 1996. But their split, a little while back, does throw a little bit of shade in what was otherwise a perfect alliance. Well, now it appears they have managed to suffer yet another insult to their legacy, courtesy of Nick Dunlap.

The golfer is currently setting himself up for a win at the 2024 American Express as an amateur. However, while doing so, reports have emerged about a deal that the athlete has with a certain brand, all the while speculating an even better relationship than the Woods-Swoosh tie-up!

A slap in the face for Tiger Woods and Nike?

A tweet was shared by Josh Carpenter on his X handle (formerly known as Twitter) mentioning how Dunlap had supposedly bagged “a NIL deal with Adidas.” The reported partnership is said to have started last year, before the athlete won his U.S. Amateur Championship title in August.

However, as per reports, following the victory at the Cherry Hills Country Club and Colorado Golf Club, the “brand restructured the deal to be head to toe” as opposed to using just his name, image, and likeness (NIL) through marketing. Well, these speculations come off as a subtle jab for the legend and his split partnership with the Swoosh since both of them entered into a deal during the 15-time major champ’s pro entry. Meanwhile, the deal Adidas is reported to have with the 20-year-old started when he was just an amateur (which he still is, by the way). Nothing shy of a poke at their legacy.

Nevertheless, if the golfer does emerge victorious at the 2024 American Express, it would prove to be history in the making. Moreover, he would become the first athlete after Phil Mickelson in 1991 to win an event on the PGA Tour as an amateur, a feat nobody has achieved in over 30 years. There seems to be more good news on the way for the Adidas-Dunlap alliance.

Well, it’s not the first time that the news of the exit was met with a snub of sorts. However, this one came from none other than the Swoosh themselves, as they went ahead to delete the 82-time PGA Tour champ from its Nike Tiger Woods page. A journalist, Robert Lusetich, revealed the same while hinting at the success of the longstanding partnership.

The headlines of the golf world sure were abuzz with the news of their exit, following the legend’s choice of using FootJoy at the greens last year and his post on social media indicating the split. Nevertheless, it truly was one of the most successful partnerships that the golf world, or even the sports realm, has ever seen. Although the amateur was reportedly able to one-up Mr.T, one can only wait and see whether the duo will be able to pull off a successful partnership like the pro had with Nike!