Just as he’s set to return to competitive action this week at the Frys.com open in California, he has received his first endorsement deal in nearly two years. Mr. Woods will be sporting a Rolex for at least the next five years after signing a long term deal with the English watch brand, it was announced today.
Before the hectic two years that Tiger Woods has gone through, he had a watch sponsor in Tag-Huer. They decided to end their relationship with Woods in early August. Signing with Rolex is considered a big cop for Woods, when you consider that Rolex is often viewed as the top watch maker in the world, usually above others such as Tag-Huer.
Perhaps this is the first endorsement opportunity for Tiger and more will come in. Since controversy started to strike woods in late 2009, he has been dropped out of corporate endorsements from companies such as Accenture, Gatorade, Gillette and Accenture. Of course, Woods’ main sponsor Nike has remained faithful for the long haul, as they still believe he is the landmark of the golf game.
This marks an important fall stretch for Woods as he returns to action this week at the Frys.com Open. It will serve as his warm up for the President’s Cup in Australia, as he was one of two captain’s picks made by Fred Couples. It has been reported that Couples advised Woods to seek one of the PGA Tour’s fall series tournaments to get some course time in before the President’s Cup.
It’s certainly been another busy year for Woods as he scattered rounds of tour golf in before and after his injury in the late spring/early summer. The construction of Woods’ brand new Jupiter home was also completed this year as he begins to move on to new things after his divorce was completed in late 2010. It is unknown whether he will keep an Orlando apartment or home residence in the future as it seems like he’s been trying to cut all ties from the past, with exception to his kids.
Just last week, Woods was in the news for making the announcement that his new caddie would be Joe LaCava. Long time caddy for Fred Couples, LaCava had been carrying Dustin Johnson’s TaylorMade bag throughout summer 2011. The move gained a bit of controversy when it was revealed that Woods hadn’t asked permission from Dustin Johnson in advance, even though DJ has claimed there was no wrongdoing on Tiger’s part. The two will be teammates in the coming weeks at the President’s Cup in Melbourne.
Tiger has certainly seen some good fortune in the past few weeks by acquiring a new caddy and a new sponsorship deal. Since returning, his play has been extremely spotty with the exception of his performances at Augusta the past two years. Maybe some new blood on the bag and a bit of sponsorship confidence can improve Tiger’s mental game as he gets back on the course for this fall stretch of competitive golf.
Today’s article is a guest post written by Paige Taylor, let me know what you think!