Jason Day likely had no idea he was going to start one of the most heated arguments of the year when he showed up to Augusta National for his second round of the 2024 Masters.
The Australian was wearing a sleeveless Malbon pullover with the words “Malbon Golf Championship” clearly embroidered on it.
Halfway through his round, Day took off the jumper, and he later said he did so at the tournament’s request.
Regretfully, the harm had already occurred. Pundits and golf enthusiasts worldwide had already started to type furiously on their keyboards, most of them seeming shocked by Day’s wardrobe choices.
There was, nevertheless, a tiny minority who thought golf should loosen its tight dress codes a little bit in order to fully embrace the modern day.
It wasn’t the first time that Day’s attire attracted notice from golfers, even outside of the Masters. But because he was playing with Tiger Woods at what is likely the most eagerly awaited golf event of the year, his screen time was definitely increased.
The issue received so much attention that we decided to discuss it in episode two of The Par FORE podcast presented by GolfMagic.
Check out the most recent edition of The Par FORE Podcast on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and GolfMagic.
So why did this jumper become the talk of the town at Augusta National?
Well, there are a few that come to mind.
We talked about this exact problem on the show, and we believe we can practically assure you that the writing on the jumper—rather than its cut—was the problem.
Ask Wayne Player, the son of three-time Masters champion Gary Player, about Augusta National’s reputation for being against over-the-top promotion
.
Wayne was prohibited from entering the property for the rest of his life after he infamously used Lee Elder’s moment of notoriety at the 2021 Masters to promote a certain brand of golf balls.
We feel the text ‘Malbon Golf Championship’ may have caused some agitation with the organizers, even if Day and Malbon’s attempt at advertising was far less egregious because it could have been interpreted as an attempt to promote a competition other than The Masters.
It would have been like Phil Mickelson wearing a jumper with the 2024 LIV Golf schedule emblazoned across the front, albeit that’s really not a fair comparison.
Some have also conjectured that the problem stemmed from the Malbon logo’s enormous size. For instance, the PGA Tour has regulations governing the maximum size of company logos.
Whether or not The Masters adheres to the same guideline is yet unknown.
But after the jumper was taken off, the reaction started.
I don’t disagree with Augusta National’s actions; they set their own regulations, which is what makes the competition unique
.
What bothers me is not so much the jumper itself, but rather the overwhelming amount of back
Golfers should be allowed to dress whichever they like as long as it doesn’t interfere with the enjoyment of the game.
When I play again, I don’t want to see someone wearing a mankini in the Borat style, but I have no issues wearing a sleeveless pullover with a lot of branding.
The entire situation brought to light what seems to be a persistently strong conviction that one should only enter a golf course wearing freshly ironed chinos and a quarter zip.
However, those antiquated notions must be set aside if golf as a whole is to advance.
