You don’t expect significant or noteworthy equipment or apparel changes on the eve (or morning of) a Major, but when something works, there’s no moment like the present.
Effective the morning of Round 1 of the 2024 Masters, Viktor Hovland has partnered with Puma Golf on his footwear. Hovland will still partner with J.LINDEBERG on his apparel, but the arrangement doesn’t include footwear, as demonstrated by the fact that Hovland has constantly rotated through Nike and PUMA shoes during the past few years.
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What makes this a little more noteworthy is that earlier this year, PUMA released a very different spike show: the PHANTOMCAT NITRO. This shoe features industry-exclusive, oval-shaped FLEXSPIKEs on the sole that promise “greater grip and better weight distribution for unrivaled traction and ferocious control.”
Given the timing of the announcement, it’s reasonable to believe that Hovland was really impressed by the new shoes, as the rolling hills of Augusta don’t strike me as a place to break in a fresh pair of shoes. That said, it’s unlikely that Viktor expected his new footwear would both be tested in such a high-pressure environment; following a rain storm, traction will likely be a premium at Augusta National on Thursday.
Cover Image via Golfweek
