With the turn of the calendar to a new year, many of golf’s best enter into a game of musical logo placements, with pros taking on new equipment and apparel deals.
World No. 1 Jason Day had already previously announced he would continue to play TaylorMade equipment through his bag in 2017 and beyond as part of a multi-year extension with the company. However, on Sunday, Nike Golf made official news known in the golf world since late summer last year, that Day would leave adidas Golf to sign an apparel and footwear deal with the Swoosh.
“Joining Nike is a dream come true,” Day said in a release formally unveiling the deal. “The brand is synonymous with the world’s best athletes. I’m honored and can’t wait to be part of the team and working closely with Nike to take my game, and the sport of golf, to even higher levels.”
Day will begin wearing Nike apparel at next week’s SBS Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.
The Aussie will now be Nike stablemates with Rory McIlroy, who has been dealing with the opposite change as Day. With Nike announcing last August that it was getting out of the equipment business, McIlroy and other Nike staffers were thrust into the purgatory of picking not only new equipment to play but when to make that switch. For his part, McIlroy, who remains with Nike in wearing their apparel and footwear, has been testing equipment on his own and in competition. As he starts 2017, McIlroy will apparently have a mix of equipment from Callaway Golf and Titleist in his bag.
McIlroy will play Callaway’s new Great Big Bertha Epic SubZero driver, custom Apex MB irons and use an Odyssey prototype putter, per a report from No Laying Up. In addition, the four-time major winner will use Vokey by Titleist wedges and return to Titleist’s Pro V1x ball.
However, the unique twist with McIlroy is that he intends not to sign a formal endorsement deal with either Callaway or Titleist for 2017. That decision gives McIlroy the freedom to make further equipment changes and tinker with his bag setup as he sees fit.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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