Tiger Woods hit with backlash over latest Sun Day Red release

There has been a mixed reaction to Tiger Woods’ new Sun Day Red apparel brand – but the latest drop seems to have earned universal disapproval.

Earlier this year, Woods parted ways with the iconic Nike swoosh to pursue his own personal brand, which he debuted at the Genesis Invitational in March.

As the former world No.1 continues to be plagued by injuries, however, he has only managed five competitive starts since and has not been able to put Sun Day Red front and centre on the fairways.

Still, Woods is the most iconic figure in golf and there is still significant interest in his brand, which falls under TaylorMade Golf’s umbrella and started trading on May 1.

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There was early success as the iconic red polos instantly sold out, but there has also been a fair amount of criticism, too. That ramped up over the weekend when it was revealed that Woods had launched “Two new limited edition Half Moon Ball Markers” on the Sun Day Red website.

The ball markers look pretty clean, featuring the 15 stripe tiger logo on one sign and a half moon design on the other.

The website’s summary states: The Limited Edition Ball Marker I Half Moon is made from high-grade metal and emblazoned with the iconic Sun Day Red™ emblem.

The problem, however, is that they are priced at $50 (£38)

Two new limited edition Half Moon Ball Markers just arrived. Featuring the 15 stripe tiger on one side and a half moon design signifying the rising sun and launch of Sun Day Red on the other, these collectible pieces won't last long. Shop now: https://t.co/3VTVnB4zYV #SunDayRed pic.twitter.com/dYXelmljaT

— SUN DAY RED (@SunDayRed) November 1, 2024

That eye-watering price point went down as you might expect on social media.

“You can get a ball marker in the Augusta National clubhouse for less than $10,” Sports Business Journal’s Josh Carpenter pointed out.

“That’s a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a ball marker,” one fan wrote.

“Love Tiger but that’s a hard pass,” another agreed.

“Absolute disgrace of a price,” one fan added, while another joked whether it was April Fool’s Day.

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The backlash comes barely a month after Sun Day Red found itself at the centre of a trademark dispute with another company.

CNBC reported in September that Tigeraire, a company that makes cooling products for athletes has filed a ‘notice of opposition’ the US Patent and Trademark Office.

The notice alleges that Sun Day Red have “unlawfully hijacked” Tigeraire’s logo into their branding.

“The actions of SDR, TaylorMade and Tiger Woods blatantly ignore Tigeraire’s long-standing protected mark, brand and identity, violate federal and state intellectual property law, and disregard the consumer confusion their actions create,” the court filing read.

TaylorMade Golf, which helped Woods develop the Sun Day Red branding, responded to CNBC, saying: “We have full confidence in the securitization of our trademarks.”