Viewers of the final round of golf’s U.S. Open two weeks ago might have noticed Billy Horschel’s name near the top leader board. They almost certainly noticed his pants, navy blue with a white octopus print.
Reactions from fans and media ranged from “Where can I get some of those?” to “Who dresses these guys?”
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For apparel sponsors — in Horschel’s case, Polo Ralph Lauren — that’s exactly the point. In a crowded and competitive marketplace, on-course fashion decisions are more carefully orchestrated than ever before, but they’re not being made by the players themselves. Rather, the companies who supply the clothes tell the pros not just what to wear but when to wear it.
In an effort to increase visibility and spark sales, most companies “script” their sponsored players’ outfits for each day of a major championships (the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA Championship). Horschel, in fact, had been scheduled to don his cephalopod slacks during Saturday’s third round of the Open, but once he played his way into contention, Polo executives switched them to Sunday, when TV viewership would be highest.
Golf companies have been asking players to wear certain clothes for decades. Greg Norman, the game’s most visible star in late ’80s and early ’90s, said his sponsors “had reports down to the second” of how much airtime he and his apparel were getting.
Scripting outfits, though, traces its roots to April 13, 1997. That day, a 22-year-old in a red sweater with a white swoosh blew away his competition, became the Masters’ youngest-ever winner, and catapulted Nike golf to the head of the golf apparel class.
Nike’s rise in golf “is because of Tiger” said Matt McCabe, Golfsmith’s Vice President of Soft Lines (footwear and apparel) said. “He wears the swoosh, he wins a lot, and people want to wear it.”
Men’s product director for Nike Golf Eric Schendler says the company emphasizes scripting to take advantage of “major moments” and “define what an athlete’s look will be and make a statement as a brand.”
Nearly every other apparel company followed Nike’s lead in recent years, sharing scripts with the media prior to each major.
“Honestly, I think [scripting] is played out a little bit,” said Jennifer Hawkins, Director of Marketing for Greg Norman/Dunning golf, who said her company has been scripting for six or seven years. “You used to kind of stand out, but now all the brands have it. Once there’s that much noise, it sort of loses its impact.”
So companies have had to get creative to establish a niche.
One method is what Hawkins calls “statement dressing”: the use of bright colors, bold patterns, and octopus prints to stand out on the course.
Adidas/Taylor Made employed what Senior Director of Global Marketing Davide Mattucci calls “team scripting” at this year’s Masters, dressing all its sponsored players in the same outfits. Though Mattucci said the company’s Web site was “flooded” with orders for those products, he said the company hasn’t decided whether or not to try it again.
The article is from http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/othersports/on-pga-tour-fashion-runs-according-to-script/2013/06/28/0686e90a-e015-11e2-963a-72d740e88c12_story.html
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