As the US Masters rapidly approaches, golf fans are faced with the exciting prospect that Tiger Woods, arguably still the biggest name in the game, may make a late decision to play. If he does – still unlikely in our opinion, but there has been a lot of talk about it over the weekend – or whether he joins Phil Mickelson on the sidelines, there will be, as always, a lot of interest in what clubs he's using, what shoes he's wearing, and where did he get that hat?
While all of the leading players in the current world ranking list will be competing for the Green Jacket at Augusta, it would be a shame if both the two men who move the needle most when it comes to internet searches and social media engagements miss out. Hopefully, the Big Cat will roar again and make a most welcome appearance on the first tee on Thursday.
They might not be the top dogs on the course anymore but Tiger and Phil are still the golfers who generate by far the most interest from the fans. Earlier this year when the PGA Tour announced the results of the inaugural Player Impact Program (PIP), Woods led the way and, as has been the case for much of their careers, Mickelson was trailing him in second spot.
Amusingly, Mickelson actually thought he’d won the ‘PIP’ and broke the news on social media. Somewhat prematurely as it turned out, as a couple of weeks later the Tour were announcing that Woods was number one and that Mickelson was in fact second. That was just one of a number of bad things to happen to Mickelson since the turn of the year (if you can call being awarded millions of dollars for nothing a bad thing).
Woods didn’t even play in an official event in 2021 but he is still the most searched name in golf. Every casual golfer still wants to be like Tiger and so it’s only natural that they’ll search to see what does Tiger think is the best driver, what golf shoes does he wear, what’s his brand of golf ball, does he wear boxers or briefs…. no really, people actually search that. Bottom line: golf fans are still nuts about Tiger.
That obsession did not even wane while the great man was sidelined for the entirety of 2021 and when he eventually returns, whether that be at Augusta this week or some time soon after, you can expect interest in him to explode once more.
Tiger's lofty status within the golf community is no surprise, but Mickelson being the second most searched golfer last year is perhaps unexpected. While Tiger was rehabbing after a serious car crash in January, Phil was rolling back the years to become the oldest ever winner of a Major Championship when he won the 2021 USPGA at Kiawah Island.
He was on the top of the mountain, but as Denzel Washington told Will Smith at the Oscars, “at your highest moment be careful, because that’s when the devil will come for you”. An outspoken critic of the PGA Tour, Mickelson's outbursts became more frequent and within a few months he had begun to spectacularly self destruct as his attempts to lead a breakaway tour backed by Saudi Arabia saw him alienate the Tour, many of his fellow pros, the golf media and a great many fans.
Mickelson's club sponsor Callaway has 'paused' its relationship with Phil as a result, as have various other kit sponsors. As a result, he’s now been dropped by us here at T3 too – initially this article was supposed to be about all things Tiger and Phil but since the latter no longer has a deal with a club manufacturer, we can't tell you what he will use when he returns to the game.
So instead, let's turn our eye to the Tiger…
What's in Tiger's bag?
The great man hasn’t played much since his accident but he did make an appearance playing alongside his son Charlie at the PNC Tournament in December 2021. He played well too, as Tiger and Charlie finished second behind John Daly and John Daly II.
Despite sharing a stable with Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and rising superstar Collin Morikawa, Tiger is still the jewel in the TaylorMade crown and unsurprisingly he is using the new Stealth Plus driver. While it isn’t compulsory for TaylorMade pros to use their latest equipment, it isn’t a good look when they launch a new driver and their top stars don’t put it in the bag so Tiger’s vote of confidence for the Stealth will have been good for business.
Tiger also had the Stealth Plus 3 wood in the bag at the PNC, while his 5 wood of choice is likely to remain the M3 which has been a fixture for Woods since 2018. It remains to be seen if he transitions to the Stealth but he doesn’t always carry a 5 wood anyway as it’s very much course dependant.
Tiger’s choice of irons are the TaylorMade P7TW while his wedges (56 and 60 degree) are the MG2 TW Grind model.
One of the most remarkable (not to mention endearing) things about Tiger is that he is still using the same putter he has used throughout most of his incredible career. While the expression “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” would certainly apply here, with golfers it isn’t that simple. Golfers, whether 16 handicappers or the world’s leading professionals, are tinkerers by nature. We’re always looking for the latest new technological advancement to give us an edge. Tiger has done that too but nothing has been able to replace the Scotty Cameron GSS Newport 2 in his heart.
For any golfer, let alone the ‘GOAT’ to use the same putter for over twenty years is virtually unheard of. Yet where Tiger goes, his trusty Scotty Cameron GSS Newport 2 putter is usually with him.
14 of his 15 major championships were won with that putter, with the one exception being the 1997 Masters when he used a Newport Tel3 Teryllium putter. Tiger did have another very close call using a different putter when he borrowed his great pal Mark O’Meara’s back up Ping Anser 2 and finished runner up at the 1998 Open Championship.
The winner that week? O’Meara, who quipped afterwards “That’s my back up putter. I finished first, he finished one shot off. That’s why it’s the back up.”
Woods has had brief dalliances with numerous other putters over the years but invariably he has returned to “old faithful”. The GSS Newport2 is now synonymous with Tiger, while Charlie is also using a custom made one of his own to hopefully keep the legacy alive.
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What golf ball does Tiger Woods use?
While most tour players will be found using Titleist, TaylorMade or Callaway golf balls, Tiger uses a Bridgestone Tour B XS. Without Tiger’s endorsement Bridgestone golfballs would be relatively unknown despite them being as good as any of their competitors.
They also have Bryson DeChambeau in their stable now, but had Tiger not already been there to provide credibility would Bryson have followed? From what we know about Bryson, as long as the money was right, yeah he probably would.
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Which golf glove does Tiger Woods wear?
Tiger wears a Nike all white Dri-FIT golf glove. Nike may no longer make golf clubs but they are still one of the leading names in apparel and you will see many of the top tour pros wearing their polos, trousers, shoes, caps and gloves. Tiger has been the face of the company for many years and is always decked out from head to toe in Nike swag.
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What kind of golf hat does Tiger Woods wear?
Being the greatest and most marketable player in the history of the game, Tiger doesn’t just wear a standard hat supplied by his sponsors. There’s no Nike swoosh on the front of Tiger’s hat, no sir. Nike aren’t stupid, they’ve cashed on their biggest asset by giving him his own line of gear and the TW logo all black AeroBill Heritage golf cap is one of the most popular of all time.
The Dri-FIT Legacy cap is another in the TW range you might want to check out. Tiger doesn’t always wear the black one but it is certainly synonymous with his famous Sunday look, which brings us to….
What kind of golf polo does Tiger Woods wear?
While he wears numerous colours and designs from the Nike Dri-FIT ADV Tiger Woods range, when you think of Tiger you invariably think of him in what is now known as “Sunday red”. Whatever colours he wears throughout the week, you’ll find Tiger rocking the red polo, black trousers and black cap on a Sunday and this is his signature look.
If you want to look the part and intimidate your playing partners at your weekend four ball, rock up to the first tee wearing the red and black and watch them cower. Unless they too are trying to be like Tiger, in case you might be the one cowering.
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What golf pants (trousers) does Tiger Woods wear?
Woods wears Nike trousers, usually Dri-FIT or if the weather conditions demand it, Storm-FT ADV trousers. Tiger mostly opts for black trousers but you will occasionally see him in charcoal or navy.
What belt does Tiger Woods wear?
As with the polo and cap, Nike have their own special “TW” belt. The Nike TW Mesh II G-Flex is a 98% leather belt that offers great breathability and fit. It comes in black or white with a silver-tone buckle featuring a Nike swoosh, while the TW logo adorns the leather tip.
What shoes does Tiger Woods wear?
Nike’s marketing department must have really thought long and hard to come up with the name for this. Wait for it… the golf shoes that Tiger Woods wears are called… Tiger Woods Nike Golf Shoes. In fairness to Nike, the money they saved on paying someone to come up with a fancy name has been passed on to the consumer as these shoes are actually quite reasonably priced.
Tiger actually caused something of a stir ahead of the Masters when he was spotted rocking a pair of Footjoys, which prompted speculation of a possible fall out with Nike, speculation that Nike were quick to dismiss.
Augusta National is one of the toughest walks in golf and given that Tiger is not yet at full strength he needed extra comfort which he found in the Footjoys. Nike are already working on something to meet his requirements, so watch this space.
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