Tiger Woods suffers fresh blow as Sun Day Red accused of trademark infringement

A difficult year for Tiger Woods just got a whole lot worse.

The former world No.1 managed only five starts and 11 competitive starts on the PGA Tour this year – banking $44,400 – and it’s not clear when his next start will come, following yet more back surgery a fortnight ago.

Off the course, things aren’t going much better.

The 15-time major champion’s new clothing line, Sun Day Red, has found itself at the centre of a trademark dispute with another company.

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

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It alleges that Woods and his clothing brand 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,” reads the court filing.

TaylorMade Golf, which partnered with Woods on the development of Sun Day Red, told CNBC, “We have full confidence in the securitization of our trademarks.”

Sun Day Red launched in February following the end of Woods’ 27-year relationship with Nike Golf.

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Commenting at the time, Woods said: “Sun Day Red will embody a love of playing and competing, and we are for people that share those values, whether it’s on the course, or in life. We will be anchored to putting the athlete first in the product decisions we make.”

David Abeles, the TaylorMade President and CEO, added: “We are honored that Tiger has trusted us with expanding our partnership to create an iconic brand led by the greatest athlete in the history of our sport. This is a historic day for TaylorMade, Tiger and the game of golf and we are humbled to be a part of it.”

It is understood that Woods and Co. have 40 days to respond to Tigeraire’s complaint.

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor