Under Armour on your mind for some reason this weekend? That may have something to do with Jordan Spieth. The Texan dominated the Masters from start to finish in a manner that has rarely been seen before.
Records fell before the 21 year old as he became the first wire to wire victor since 1976, among plenty of other accomplishments. And now that he's broken out into the mainstream as perhaps golf's next global star, companies are going to start getting on board at an incredible rate.
Like it or loath it, the sponsorship market is an integral part of professional golf. Rory McIlroy's success over the past year has been measured in his ability to take Tiger Woods' big Nike and EA Sports deals (the three majors have certainly helped).
Now it's Spieth turn to step into the limelight. There's an argument to be made that McIlroy was very lucky to have arrived on the scene when he did. Golf needed a hero when Woods fell from his pedestal and the Down man was the only real pretender to the crown.
You have to think that if Jordan Spieth had come along at the same time as McIlroy, his nationality alone may have had Nike thinking twice about where to put their money. Nike's opportunity cost may prove to be quite big given how much Under Armour now stand to gain.
The sportswear manufacturer jumped on the Spieth bandwagon at the perfect time and they really rode it home to the bank this weekend. On Masters Sunday, the Texan sported a remarkable 16 different Under Armour logos on his person at any one time.
Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank explained to ESPN how his company were in the running for McIlroy's signature but the price was just too steep. They then looked to the future, signed Spieth up for ten years and now you get the sense Plank is quite pleased with the deal.
He was like apple pie with a golf club. There was nothing more Americana than Jordan Spieth this weekend.
