When LIV Golf was launching in 2022, Callaway paused its longtime relationship with Phil Mickelson due to controversy surrounding the six-time major champion who headlined the list of defectors from the PGA Tour.
This week, however, the golf equipment manufacturer announced a wide-ranging deal with Jon Rahm and his LIV team, Legion XIII, in a move that shows just how dramatically views of the rival circuit have changed among the sport’s stakeholders.
Callaway is the first company to become the official club supplier of a LIV team. Rahm, Caleb Surratt, and Tom McKibbin were already using Callaway clubs. But it’s not an exclusive deal, as Tyrrell Hatton uses Ping clubs and will continue to do so.
Shifting Stances
Rahm has been a Callaway endorser since 2021, and in 2023 signed an extension that included equity in parent company Topgolf Callaway Brands.
But when he joined LIV ahead of the league’s 2024 season, Callaway branding stopped appearing on his on-course apparel as the 2023 Masters champion repped his Legion XIII squad at both LIV events and major championships. This season, he’s been wearing a Callaway hat.
Bryson DeChambeau’s LIV team, Crushers GC, recently brought on Reebok as its official apparel supplier. Other brands have signed various endorsement deals with some LIV teams, but none as big as Callaway. Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka is the only Nike golfer currently on LIV, as he reps the Swoosh, and not the gear of his team, Smash GC.
What Once Was
Mickelson, who remains the captain of LIV’s HyFlyers GC, kept using Callaway clubs despite the “pause” in 2022, and the partnership wasn’t officially over until he announced a formal split in January 2024—although the company had largely distanced itself from the golfer before then.
Meanwhile, Dustin Johnson’s longtime TaylorMade contract expired in 2024. The two-time major champion had been under contract to play the manufacturer’s clubs and ball, and represent their logos on his apparel. He also had a long-running deal with Adidas that ended in 2023. This season, he’s still been playing some TaylorMade clubs but sports clothing from his LIV team, 4Aces GC.
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