Golfers Webb Simpson and Davis Love III drew some reactions for their "conspicuous attire" during Thursday's first round of the U.S. Open, but they "simply were following some gentle nudging from clothing sponsor Polo," according to Gene Wang of the WASHINGTON POST. Simpson wore a lime green shirt and pink pants, and he said, "I was just obeying one of my sponsors. They picked it out for me." Love also was "resplendent in his pink pants matching the color of bubble gum, or better yet, Pepto-Bismol." Love said, "I put this on for my wife, and I said, 'You've got to be kidding me.' She said they look great, so between my wife and Ralph Lauren, I lost out." Meanwhile, Wang noted golfer Bubba Watson wore camouflage pants "to raise money for charities benefiting military families" (WASHINGTON POST, 6/17). GOLFWEEK’s D.J. Piehowski noted Watson was wearing “camouflage pants and an olive drab shirt with four general stars and a 'WATSON' patch on the right side of his chest” (GOLFWEEK.com, 6/16). Golfer Arron Oberholser, who is not playing the U.S. Open, discussed Watson’s wardrobe on Twitter, writing, “Bubba! Are you kidding me with those pants. Might be taking the golf boys/village people thing a bit far. … If Bubba wasn't wearing those for charity, you'd think he was going to a pajama party” (TWITTER.com, 6/16).
IT WAS ALL ORANGE: Golfer Rickie Fowler is known for his on-course style, and he was asked by GOLF.com's Damon Hack if he had always been "fashion conscious." Fowler said, "Throughout high school and going into high school, I liked standing out a little bit. I was conscious of what I was wearing. ... When Puma came along when I was turning pro, it was a perfect match. I wasn't trying to be identified by wearing certain things, it just fell that way." Fowler, who played college golf at Oklahoma State, discussed the color schemes he wears, which often include an all-orange ensemble on Sundays. He said, "Starting out, I brought the orange in. I wanted to wear orange. Then (Puma) gave me the clothes, and I put together outfits. Now, we're working more in-depth. I have some input while they're designing some stuff. Do I like it? Do I like the way it fits? Ultimately, I get to pick what I want to wear" (GOLF.com, 6/13). CNBC’s Darren Rovell said Friday morning from Congressional Country Club, “I have never seen to this point fans walking around with the amount of orange. … It’s all over the place.” Rovell: “I just hope that when Rickie does win the big one … that Puma is ready to capitalize. They're not exactly the same type of company at this point as Nike or adidas” (“Morning Drive,” Golf Channel, 6/17). Rovell added, “Rickie Fowler is changing fashion around here from a fan standpoint like we never saw from Tiger Woods” (“Squawk Box,” CNBC, 6/17).
