“Pretty shocking that Nike can’t pull this off” - Tiger Woods’ sponsors come under fire as golf fans react to him wearing FootJoys while playing

Tiger Woods' return to the course during the 2023 Hero World Challenge has garnered so much attention from fans that no detail has gone unnoticed. So much so that the shoes worn by the golf legend in the Bahamas have also come under the scanner.

Tiger Woods, one of the highest profile athletes in Nike's sponsorship catalog, wore FootJoy shoes in the first round of the Hero World Challenge. Journalist Dan Rapaport noticed that and posted on X (formerly Twitter), calling it "truly wild."

Fans reacted to the shoes worn by Tiger Woods in a variety of ways. Let's take a look at some of the reactions on X:

"Pretty shocking that nike can’t pull this off"

FootJoy is a brand with a 150-year history of producing golf outfits. It is especially recognized for its shoes and gloves. Since 1945, it has been the number one shoe brand used on the PGA Tour.

FootJoy is currently owned by Acushnet Company, which also owns other brands associated with golf such as Scottie Cameron and Titleist.

Tiger Woods has been sponsored by Nike since 1996. The current contract between the player and his sponsor is worth $200 million.

How was the first round of the Hero World Challenge for Tiger Woods?

Tiger Woods finished his round with a score of 3-over 75, eight strokes behind the leaders Brian Harman and Tony Finau. At the end of his day, Woods spoke to the press and made the following statements, according to The Guardian:

"Now I know mentally what I need to do better. Physically, I knew I was going to be OK. Mentally, I was really rusty and made a lot of errors in the mind that normally I don’t make."

He added:

"I wanted to play. I felt like I was ready to compete and play. I hit it solid most of the day. As I said, I just didn't mentally do the things I normally would do and I need to do. I still hit it solid, but I hit it crooked. I’ve always had a knack of hitting the ball in the middle of the face, but I need to do a better job where I hit it in my windows."

Woods had four birdies, five bogeys and one double bogey. His best moment of the day was the 48-feet putt he made for birdie on the 11th hole of the Albany Golf Club, home of the Hero World Challenge.