On February 13, 2018, the No Laying Up podcast interviewed Jason Dufner’s agent, Ben Walter. One of the many topics they discussed was Jason’s lack of hat sponsor for 2018 (Dufner had recently moved on from a full deal with Titleist). Walter, explained that the most valuable real estate on a golfer is the headwear because of its visibility on television. But without a sponsor, Jason thought he would go out on his own and have some fun topping his noggin. With the help of Walter and Dufner’s girlfriend, Jessica, they picked out some non-traditional golf hats in hopes of creating buzz and driving demand for his headwear sponsorship. It worked.
GolfThreads has followed this fashion story closely and thought it would be fun to step through the wardrobe and into Duf-Nernia. What follows is a chronological journey highlighting the many headwear choices of this mythical creature known as, “Duf”.
Sentry Tournament of Champions
Surf’s up, Duf
Duf donned multiple Blueline Surf & Paddle Co. hats at the Sentry Tournament. I’ve heard that he came across the brand while at Rickie Fowler’s house (there is also a rumor that Duf stole a Blueline hat from Rickie’s pad–gangsta move if it is true). Makes sense since I cannot (nor do I want to) picture Duf on a surfboard! Can’t say I blame him for swiping the hat. They are dope!
Duf-daddy “rapped” it up at Kapalua with a Notorious B.I.G. dad-hat by Ourt.
Sony Open in Hawaii
Duf Wahoo
The Cleveland, Ohio native showed off hometown pride for the local nine. Interestingly enough, two weeks after he wore this ballcap, Major League Baseball and the Indians announced that Chief Wahoo would no longer be used on uniforms or stadium signs beginning in 2019.
See Also: This Week in Golf Fashion: Hawaii 2.0
The Honda Classic
Boss Duf
In February Dufner wore the 5 Star Boss hat by Undefeated (however, to my knowledge they no longer make this particular hat). At one point in time, this hat was popular in the military, with 5-star generals wearing them to let everyone know who was boss! Was Duf trying to tell his playing partner, Tiger Woods, something? According to Duf, he found it at Rickie Fowler’s house the night before and decided to wear it.
WGC Mexico Championship
Yo, <3 Duf
Translation, “I, love Mexico”…..and I am sure Mexico loves you too, Duf.
Valspar Championship
1977
Duf representing his birth year with the Flipper 1977 Snapback by Korean brand PREMI3R.
Houston Open
Notorious D.U.F.
Clearly, Duf feels a bond with the late Christopher George Latore Wallace (aka Biggie Smalls). They do have similar chins. Either way, we saw another Biggie themed hat, this one was the Biggie Notorious Crown Snapback by BIO WORLD. RIP, Biggie.
While golfing in Houston, Duf also showed his support for local industry. Mustang Cat is the leading Caterpillar dealer in the greater Houston area.
RBC Heritage
Duf Jonesin’ for a birdie…
This Jones Golf Birdie snapback is definitely a favorite at the GolfThreads headquarters.
Zurich Classic of New Orleans
NBA action, it’s FANtastic!
On Friday, April 27 the OKC Thunder had a must-win game six versus the Utah Jazz. That same day Duf wore a Thunder cap. He clearly tipped us off to whom he was rooting for (his team lost). With OKC out of the playoffs and the New Orleans Pelicans still alive, Duf opted to throw his support behind the local team in their second-round matchup with the Golden State Warriors.
In between fantastic NBA lids, Duf snuck in a hat from high-end denim manufacturer G-Star RAW.
See Also: This Week in Golf Fashion: NOLA Style
Wells Fargo Championship
I refuse to say much about this lid, as the Cavaliers beat my beloved Boston Celtics in game seven of the NBA Eastern Finals.
The Players Championship
Pro-Shop Duf
Rumor has it that Duf picked this hat up at the pro-shop prior to his round.
See Also: THE PLAYERS Championship Fashion Recap: Day 1
Fort Worth Invitational
G.I. Duf
Duf showed his respect for multiple branches of the United States Military while in Texas. Classy move and a nice way to play to your audience.
Memorial Tournament
Let’s Make a Deal, Hosted by Monty “Duf” Hall
….and Duf has a hat deal. Well, for one week, anyhow. MSF Real Estate Capital, based in Columbus, Ohio for 34 years signed local-boy and defending champion, Jason Dufner to a one-week hat deal and designed seven “Ohio” themed lids for him to wear at the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio. There were 35 of each hat made available and sold through the MSF website for $40 each (25% of the proceeds went to Dufner’s charitable foundation). Needless to say, they sold out quick!
U.S. Open
Old School Duf
Dufner took it back to the old school and had the social media world buzzing with these retro lids from FootJoy. The limited edition mesh trucker and high crown visor featured a vintage FootJoy logo for a cool, nostalgic vibe. Not surprisingly, these sold out by the time Dufner’s final putt dropped on Sunday afternoon.
See Also: U.S. Open Fashion Dimes & Crimes: Day 2
The classic FJ hats/visors are my favorite. This has been a really cool idea by Duf for the year. so fun.
A friend of mine has been wearing the old school high-crown FJ visor. It is pretty dope.