Golfers Jason Kokrak, Pat Perez and D.A. Points "round out the coterie of tour players" sponsored by Austin-based William Murray Golf, according to Mike Dojc of FORBES. The idea to launch a direct-to-consumer golf fashion brand centered around Bill Murray and his brothers "took root in early 2015." William Murray co-Founder & CEO Kerry Michaels and co-Founder Brandon Barrett were "working for Chive Media Group, an ad-supported comedy website that also hawked offbeat graphic tees." William Murray's debut polo was a "pinstriped Cubs jersey print timed to launch in the fall of the following year" during the '16 MLB playoffs. Four years later, William Murray, a golf brand that "hangs its hat on the cachet of a septuagenarian superstar, is still going strong, pumping out irreverent patterns that connect with golfers of all ages looking to show a little bit of personality on the course." U.S. retail sales overall "climbed 1.9% in September month-over-month with the clothing and accessories category jumping 11%." While William Murray "isn't exactly a back-to-school brand, the apparel line enjoyed a September to remember with a 150% year-over-year sales bounce." Michaels attributes the sales spike to the "launch of their fall collection which included a fun line of products tied to the occasion of Bill's birthday." They expect '21 to be "another solid year for the growing band" (FORBES.com, 11/4).
