• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, April 14, 2025

Golfer Rory McIlroy’s victory at the Masters offered plenty of drama, ended an 11-year drought, and delivered a Grand Slam. He is only the sixth golfer in history to have done so. Nike – shaking off an epic sales slump – used the moment to roll out a perfectly timed brand tribute spot.

It opens with a shot of a pimento sandwich and a tailor’s tape measure and shifts to a view of a dry-cleaners rack, rotating a series of clothes before stopping at the one until marked “McIlroy.”

“This walk just looks different with a Grand Slam,” the voiceover says, “from teenage prodigy to a place among the immortals. It’s a walk he’s made many times before. This time, it just feels like destiny.”

The ad ends with a frame of Nike type: “This was always waiting for you.”

Nike, which is trying to find a path back to growth under a new CEO, has had a challenging relationship with golf. In 2016, it exited the golf club business. And then last year, the brand’s partnership with Tiger Woods, a 27-year relationship considered one of the most valuable in sports marketing, ended.

Within a month, Woods announced a new apparel partnership with rival Adidas.

Nike’s current roster of golfers also includes Scottie Scheffler, last year’s winner at Augusta National and currently ranked as the No. 1 player in the world. He finished fourth in the tournament.

Last month, Nike said sales had fallen 9% in the fiscal third quarter. And the company forecasts a dramatic 16% decline as it moves to shed troublesome inventory. The athletic giant vowed to focus more on emotional brand storytelling.

McIlroy’s win fits right in. He called Sunday “the best day of my golfing life,” reports the New York Times’ Athletic. “I’m proud of never giving up. I’m proud of how I kept coming back and dusting myself off and not letting the disappointments really get to me.”