Many golfers playing in The Masters, which began this morning, have released their playing outfits for all four rounds of the event, and GOLF DIGEST Fashion Dir Marty Hackel examined the sartorial choices of several top contenders. Keegan Bradley's Tommy Hilfiger look is “clean and it’s consistent.” The red, white and blue color scheme is "certainly Keegan’s calling card," and you can "practically hear people chanting ‘USA! USA!’” The combinations Luke Donald and RLX Ralph Lauren have “pulled together have great contrast with bold colors.” There is a “balance to what Luke is wearing, and that’s why these outfits work.” Rickie Fowler always has "something on that’s exciting and colorful,” and his Puma apparel is “fun, especially when you see how boring so many others look.” Under Armour’s approach for Hunter Mahan’s “purposeful wardrobe” is “forceful, bold, technical.” Graeme McDowell will wear Kartel, and “when it comes to blending looks together in an elegant, understated way, GMac is your man.” His choice of Nona Blue trousers for today is “bold,” as many players wear "bright shirts and sweaters, but few wear bright bottoms.” Hackel wrote of Carl Petterson’s Nike outfits, “We always say bold stripes don’t work on larger people, but look at what Carl is going to wear on Friday and Sunday.” His “outgoing, exuberant personality allows him to wear ‘the wrong thing’ and make it look right.” Ian Poulter wears outfits from his own IJP Designs, and “by now we expect to see Ian in plaid.” But there also is “a valuable lesson in the way Poulter puts outfits together,” as he makes “one unique choice per outfit.” His style is “very straightforward, not complicated.” Oakley’s designs for defending champion Bubba Watson are “graphic, technical and in a sense architectural.” The new look “suits his personality.” There is “nothing subtle about him or the clothes” (GOLF DIGEST STIX, 4/10 issue).
SPONSORS' TIME IN THE SUN: FORBES.com's Kurt Badenhausen noted golfers featured on CBS and ESPN's broadcasts of The Masters "generate huge exposure for their sponsors with their branded gear." Tiger Woods is the "overwhelming favorite to win the event," meaning Nike is "sitting in the catbird seat." Ping last year sponsored both winner Watson and runner-up Louis Oosthuizen, and a Repucom analysis showed that the golf company generated $14.2M "in media value." Ping's exposure was "three times the next biggest brand, TaylorMade, which ranked second" with $4.5M (FORBES.com, 4/10).
A TRADITION LIKE ANY OTHER: In Cincinnati, Paul Daugherty notes Augusta National is the only place fans can buy Masters merchandise, so the “stuff is highly prized.” Items include a $395 “Masters cashmere sweater,” and a print of the 13th hole that will “set you back $250.” Even at the “rare-air prices, demand is insatiable.” A steady stream of patrons “negotiate the zig-zag entrance lines ... all day, endlessly, to max out credit cards for their piece of the Masters.” The Masters officials always have “been shrewd when it came to marketing their brand.” In so doing, they have “created their own little monopoly” (CINCINNATI.com, 4/11).
