The "increasing -- and to some disturbing -- trend of
PGA Tour players loading up their wardrobes with a patchwork
of corporate endorsement logos" is examined by Joe Logan of
GOLF Magazine, who notes that "in some golf circles," the
practice is being referred to as the "NASCAR effect." PGA
Tour player Frank Nobilo: "I don't think any player likes to
be a walking billboard. It's a fine line between giving the
sponsors the exposure they want and giving the game the
respect it deserves." But Sponsors Report Associate Editor
Raymond Howland said that during February's Nissan Open,
Titleist endorsers David Duval, Davis Love III and Tiger
Woods earned the company "$900,000 worth of television
exposure in the final round alone." Logan notes the PGA
Tour's only "policy, albeit vague, on players' attire"
states in part, "Logos or other words on articles of
clothing, including headgear, must conform with acceptable
standards of size and good taste." However, Justin
Leonard's agent Mac Barnhardt said, "We're not more than two
years away from somebody really testing the limits of
putting a billboard on a guy" (GOLF, 9/99 issue).
