Top 6 Golf Players feat. Rory McIlroy still sponsored by Nike after recent Tiger Woods partnership break up

Tiger Woods parting with Nike as his sponsor has dominated all the headlines in the golf world this Monday, January 8. Many fans consider this the end of an era, but the fact is that the iconic brand has many aces left in its catalog of sponsorships.

It is unclear whether Nike intends to find some sort of replacement for Tiger Woods (something that seems very hard to do). But it is a fact that the brand has not fully ended its golf sponsorships, and has even signed more than one rising star. Tom Kim is the best example.

What are the top six stars in the Nike Golf catalog? Let's dig in.

Top 6 Golf Players still sponsored by Nike after Tiger Woods' exit

Nike sponsors a wide range of professional golfers besides Tiger Woods, from established stars to young up-and-comers. These are the main ones:

#1- Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy (Image via Getty).

The Northern Irishman needs little introduction. More than 20 victories on the PGA Tour, including four Majors, attest to his pedigree. Rory McIlroy has had his $200 million contract with Nike in place since 2017, when they agreed to extend his initial contract signed in 2013 for an equal sum.

McIlroy is coming off a season of two wins and 11 other Top 10s on the PGA Tour. He is ranked second in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). His friendship with Tiger Woods is well known.

#2- Scottie Scheffler

Scottie Scheffler (Image via Getty).

If we talk about higher-ranked players on Nike's roster, we can't overlook the top-ranked golfer in the world. Scottie Scheffler is one of the top names in world sports and in the Nike catalog after it bid farewell to Tiger Woods.

Scheffler has just had the seventh-best season of all time in terms of score average (the first six belong to Tiger Woods). In 2022-2023, he won two official tournaments and the Hero World Challenge.

#3- Brooks Koepka

Brooks Koepka (Image via Getty).

Brooks Koepka is one of the main stars of LIV Golf and has just closed a spectacular season. Third in the individual ranking of the circuit, two LIV victories, and the fifth Major of his career speak for themselves.

As if this was not enough, Koepka finished in the Top 20 in two of the other three Majors of the season (T2 at The Masters and T17 at the US Open).

#4- Nelly Korda

Nelly Korda (Image via Getty).

Nelly Korda signed an endorsement deal with Nike at the start of 2023, after closing out the previous season with a win and seven other top 10s on the LPGA Tour.

Korda did not win in 2023 on the world's premier tour, but she did finish in six Top 10s. She added a victory on the Ladies European Tour and is undeniably one of the most famous faces representing the brand in the sport.

#5- Tommy Fleetwood

The Sentry - Round One

The Englishman has had a sponsorship relationship with Nike Golf since his amateur days which continued after he turned pro in 2010. The deal has been progressively renewed during his career. Tommy Fleetwood is one of the main ambassadors of the brand in the DP World Tour.

Currently, Fleetwood plays more regularly in America, but his impact and popularity in Europe is still pretty impressive. An example of this was the fan-following he received at The Open Championship, which was played at Royal Liverpool, just a few miles from his hometown.

#6- Suzann Pettersen

Suzann Pettersen (Image via Getty).

The double Major champion is already a historical figure on the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour, although her professional career is far from over. Suzann Pettersen has recorded another 19 victories in addition to her two Majors (adding the two main tours).

Pettersen's fame and prestige grew to even bigger heights after the 2023 Solheim Cup. There, the Norwegian star captained the European team to a brilliant performance and helped them retain the trophy won by herself in 2019 (acting as a player).