Look for Rickie Fowler to start his title defense at The Players Championship in a tricked out pair of kicks.
In the first round, he is scheduled to lace up a pair of vibrant, dual-colored TITANTOUR IGNITE Tricks shoes from Puma. The neon pink, highlighter yellow and black colorway was designed to encourage golfers to have fun, play bold and play loud – three traits that Rickie has embraced since joining the PGA TOUR.
Throughout 2016, Fowler and Puma have pushed the boundaries of golf fashion with progressive looks. In the first tournament of the year, he shook up the golf establishment by rocking high-tops and joggers at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. At the WGC-Cadillac Championship, he debuted an ombré fade hat. Then, it was two-toned mod-style trousers at the Masters. The colorful Tricks shoes are just the latest example of Fowler’s (and Puma’s) willingness to challenge the golf fashion world’s status quo.
Fowler first debuted the Tricks shoes during The Players Championship Media Day at TPC Sawgrass last month, strategically pairing them with a black monochromatic outfit, which allowed the focus to fall squarely on the shoes.
The two-colored shoes are part of a larger footwear campaign from Puma that spans multiple sports including running, soccer and golf. The inspiration for the vivid, unconventional shoes came from Cameroonian soccer star, Rigobert Song. At the 1998 World Cup, Song was looking to make a bold statement on the global stage and he decided to play in one yellow and one red shoe – a bold move indeed!
In a way, Fowler’s return to TPC Sawgrass in pink shoes, brings his 2015 Players Championship victory full circle. With last year’s final round falling on Mother’s Day, Fowler traded his signature Sunday Orange for pink, including a pair of bespoke pink Puma shoes.
What’s next for Fowler and Puma? Expect the unexpected, but it will likely be bold, loud and fun.
1,000 pairs of Rickie’s TITANTOUR IGNITE Tricks have been made and are available for purchase for $230. If you do pick up a pair, we suggest bringing your A game to the course.
I like the fact that Rickie and Puma push the boundaries on fashion but this seems like a jump the shark moment. For shoe collectors this could be a must have but I can’t imagine anyone wearing these to the course. There is only one guy in the world who has the game to wear these and pull it off.