Tiger Woods, with most of his replays (good and bad) now distant ones, has done it again.
In his 20s, he was too good to be true, until he wasn’t. Then his well-documented womanizing brought him down to earth, or lower, and he went from the PGA’s most-beloved golfer to its most-distrusted. A divorce, a DUI arrest and a couple of girlfriends later, he repaired his image enough to become popular again. He won his record-tying sixth Masters. Then he nearly killed himself in a careless, high-speed, one-car accident. That, coupled with more birthdays and a bad back, appears to have been a fatal blow for his competitive career.
And now this.
Woods has completely separated from the company (Nike) that stuck with him through tragedy and travesty. His new deal is with TaylorMade, which makes perfect sense since he has been swinging TaylorMade clubs for almost nine years, while wearing Nike clothing. Known for showing up in red shirts every Sunday throughout his career, Woods is calling his new clothing line “Sun Day Red.” Despite being somebody who has been known to wear red golf shirts when playing on the Sabbath — superstitiously and foolishly believing it will impact where and how far my golf ball will go — I have this to say about his branding.
Really?
To me, Sun Day Red sounds like something you might find on the menu in a Chinese restaurant (and I love Chinese restaurants). Not that Tiger would have asked, but I’d have gone with “Taylor Red” and I do know something about the word Taylor, starting with the fact it was my mother’s maiden name.
My knowledge goes much, much deeper. I’ve known, or known of, four people named James (or Jim) Taylor — an uncle, a sportswriter, a running back and a singer. I once met Taylor Swift and, yes, so did my wife. Think of those little Swifties around the world, or even big Swifties, all decked out in their favourite Taylor Reds.
There’s more. Taylor is a well-respected name in the sports word. Canada’s best golfer is Nick Taylor. Among the all-time Hall of Fame horse breeders was E. P. Taylor, from Toronto. I once knew a pitcher named Taylor, in Winnipeg and in Montreal, whose nickname was Bell Buckle because that’s what his high school, was called in Tennessee. His first name was Chuck, but he wasn’t the one who made those once-trendy shoes that used to be called, simply, runners.
And since Tiger’s been such an actor, there’s Hollywood and television. The legendary Taylor beauty queen named Elizabeth. A well-known heartthrob on TV — Taylor Kinney in real life, a firefighter named Severide on Chicago Fire. the old Andy Griffith Show, still in re-runs and featuring Sheriff Andy Taylor, whose son was Opie Taylor. (My Uncle Andy Taylor was not a sheriff but a polar scholar and author who became an Officer of the Order of Canada
I could go on and on…I know, I already have.
Tiger Woods is expected to play The Masters next month in Augusta. He’s not expected to make the cut to qualify for wearing his Sun Day Red shirt. Nor will he qualify to wear Taylor Red.
