Brands Warming Up to LIV Golf as Cam Smith’s Ripper GC is Next

They say time heals all wounds, and it seems that’s likely to be the case with LIV.

As many may recall, several sponsorships hailing from a variety of fields—equipment, apparel and general corporate—cut ties with many of the golfers who left the PGA Tour and DP World Tour for LIV. Indeed, Callaway distanced itself from Phil Mickelson, UPS cut ties with Lee Westwood, as did RBC with Dustin Johnson and Graeme McDowell.

But it seems that merely 3 years later, many sponsors—largely after the announcements of the potential combination of the different leagues—have decided to fill the voids and make new arrangements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Eric B. (@hozel_rocket)

As we recently covered, Reebok—who had not been a player in the golf space—announced that it would be partnering with, arguably, LIV’s most popular golfer, Bryson DeChambeau and his LIV team, Crushers GC, and debuting all-new clothes and footwear.

And it seems that other brands aren’t interested in being left out of the mix.

Although nothing official has been released yet, Cameron Smith—Team Captain for Ripper GC—was recently spotted in a video posted by Cleeks GC. While Smith is one of the last personalities featured in the video, there’s a brief moment where his new apparel is spotted:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Eric B. (@hozel_rocket)

For those unfamiliar, that’s a Greyson logo. And that wouldn’t be noteworthy in itself, except for the fact that Smith and Ripper GC were sponsored by Original Penguin.

Original Penguin has a longstanding relationship with Smith that predates his victory at the 2022 Open Championship. But it appears that he may be doing exactly what captains do with this potential Greyson partnership—looking to take steps that increase the value of his team.

The first LIV event is currently scheduled for February 6th to 8th in Saudi Arabia, so it’s likely that the Rippers (along with all other teams) will start to lock up and announce any apparel brand partnerships during the next few weeks.

Cover Image via WTNH