■ Golfer & Record
TaylorMade, a golf equipment maker, recently announced the end of its sponsorship contract with Dustin Johnson (U.S.), former world No. 1 in men's golf. It is a break-up between a golfer and a sponsor, but there is another reason why their breakup is drawing keen attention from the golf community. It is because Johnson has been a TaylorMade player since his debut as a professional golfer.
Johnson joined hands with TaylorMade in 2007 when he entered golf professionally. While Johnson had a total of 24 wins including two major championships since his debut in the PGA Tour, he has always been with the TaylorMade Club. Having ranked No. 1 in the world and been evaluated as the "face" of men's golf who will succeed Tiger Woods, the "emperor of golf," he also used the TaylorMade Club after surprisingly moving to LIV Golf. All of his clubs, ranging from drivers to putters, were TaylorMade. He used TaylorMade as his golf ball as well. 토토사이트
However, time flies like an arrow. Notably, after moving to LIV, Johnson's position faltered significantly. Although he won the trophy three times at LIV, he failed to earn world ranking points, and eventually Johnson's world ranking fell to 578th. Due to his loss of sharp performance, he was in the middle and lower ranks in both competitions this year. Eventually, TaylorMade's patience reached its limit.
Given that global golf fans' interest and outstanding performance are directly linked to the brand's increased value, Johnson no longer has the marketability. TaylorMade chose Woods, who still has the marketability despite his poor performance compared to his heyday, and Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda of the U.S., who are currently solidly No. 1 in the men's and women's golf world rankings. The world of professionals is cool-headed.