How Clothes Became the Biggest Controversy of The Masters

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reference comments on Saturday made by Jason Day about being asked by The Masters to remove his “busy” sweater vest. We’ve also added information confirming the exact pants he worn made by Malbon.

Style-spotting for both the golfers playing and the fans attending is a longstanding tradition of The Masters media coverage. And for good reasons. 

Very few events can attract a milieu of humanity, like the iconic event held each year at Augusta National.

With celebrities, billionaires, Olympians, casual golf fans, and professional golfers from all over the world all mingling in one place, you’re bound to spot an exciting outfit or two. 

This year, the world’s former number-one ranked golfer in the world’s attire has captured the tournament’s attention. 

Andrew Streeter

First, Jason Day was roasted for his baggy pants worn during Thursday’s round.

On the first Thursday of the 2024 tournament, Australian golfer Jason Day wore some noticeably baggy pants, complete with an elastic waistband and ankle cords, made by L.A. luxury golf brand Malbon.

As Golf Digest points out, this isn’t the first time the pro has appeared on the course wearing pants that deviate from the circuit norm. But it is the first time many more casual golf fans are noticing his look.

Like virtually all pro golfers these days, Day’s decision to wear Malbon wasn’t by accident. After seven years as an ambassador for Nike, Day officially switched to become Malbon’s first brand ambassador on the PGA Tour. 

The relatively young brand, founded in 2017 and devoted to inspiring “today’s youth to participate in the greatest game on Earth,” has been a fast-rising style darling of golf apparel since its launch. 

Malbon

From the moment Day transitioned to the new brand, eagle-eyed golf journalists noticed his look on the course had evolved. Like the individual style evolution of Tiger Woods, the general trends in pro golfer attire have shifted more towards slimmer and trimmer tailored and athletic cuts. Day was much the same during his Nike years. 

However, the desire to broaden notions of acceptable golf attire was a shared interest of Day and Malbon co-founder Jason Malbon. According to an article in Sports Illustrated covering the new partnership, Day, in a text to Malbon, remarked that his fellow Tour athletes looked “the exact same.” 

In other words, standing out for Jason Day and Malbon, to borrow a line from Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight, is all part of the plan, which is why, after seeing the outcry on Thursday, it should be no surprise to anyone that his follow-up outfit on Friday was equally divisive.

Then on Friday, Jason Day was asked to remove his sweater vest mid-round by The Masters.

X (@BarstoolBigCat)

In the case of this bold sweater choice, Day’s move apparently caught the ire of than just traditionalist fans, presumably by violating the Tour’s vague player endorsement policy, which follows. 

“All names, brands, logos and other marks and identifiers (“marks”) on a player’s apparel, headwear, golf bag and golf equipment must be in good taste as to content, size, location and quantity, as reasonably determined by the PGA TOUR.“

X (@malbon)

Day confirmed after Saturday’s round that he had been asked to remove his “busy” sweater vest midway through his round. 

“They asked me to take the vest of yesterday…the busy one…and, respectfully, you do that here because it’s all about the tournament here, and I understand that,” Day stated to Golf Digest. “I respect the tournament, and that’s what we’re here to do: play and win the green jacket.”

He added to a follow-up question, “They asked, ‘Can you take it off?’, and I said, yeah, no worries.” He also clarified that the request “came from Augusta National,” not an official of the PGA Tour.

Day briefly also stated that his Master’s outfit choices weren’t some move, at least on his part, to spark controversy intentionally or gain attention. In his words, he put on the outfits that were scripted for him by Malbon, which is a common practice for any golfer working as a paid clothing ambassador during tournaments. 

“I wasn’t trying to do anything. They [Malbon] just scripted me in it, and I was wearing it. I don’t see it as a mistake.”

Whatever decisions or motivations got Day to this point, it’s safe to say that he and Malbon can consider their mission of disrupting golf-style conventions as officially accomplished, at least at the 2024 Masters.

Malbon

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