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One of LIV Golf’s superstar captains is splitting ways with his longtime sponsor ahead of the controversial league’s second season.
Dustin Johnson and Adidas have agreed to an “amicable separation,” as the former world No. 1 is looking to focus on building the brand of 4Aces GC, per ESPN.
Johnson, who won LIV’s inaugural Individual and Team Championships with 4Aces last season, wants to acquire sponsors to put on his team’s shirts — and he’ll need a blank slate to do it.
“A major part of starting a team is establishing a brand identity and building that brand. The primary asset is the shirt,” a source close to Johnson told ESPN. “They want the entire shirt… DJ needed a clean break to start his team. He’s grateful to Adidas for letting him out of the deal.”
“For more than 15 years, Dustin has been a great ambassador for the Adidas brand,” Adidas Golf president Jeff Lienhart said in a statement to ESPN. “We wish Dustin nothing but success moving forward.”
The 38-year-old signed with the German sports apparel brand shortly after going pro in 2007. Johnson then extended his deal with the company in 2016 for an undisclosed amount.
Johnson will reportedly keep wearing Adidas shoes while playing even though he won’t be compensated. His relationship with TaylorMade is reportedly unchanged.
Two other LIV golfers had deals with Adidas when they first came over to the upstart golf promotion: Fireballs GC captain Sergio Garcia recently did not have his deal with the company renewed, an Adidas spokesperson told ESPN, while Torque GC captain Joaquin Niemann’s status with the company remains unchanged for now.
Getting partnerships is no longer a pipedream for LIV Golf.
On Wednesday, LIV announced its long-awaited first corporate partnership, a deal with EasyPost as the league’s official shipping solutions partner.
EasyPost has a board member Abdulla AlBanna who is a Partner at Mubadala, an Emirati state-owned holding company, according to SI.com’s Bob Harig. The search for the first unconnected sponsor continues.
However, it’s not all good news for LIV Golf: A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the PGA Tour could add Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and PIF’s governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, as counterclaim defendants in its case against LIV.
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