Horses for Courses: AT&T Byron Nelson

Throughout his career, Adam Scott has been one of the most stylish players on the PGA TOUR. If there is a best-dressed list in golf, the Aussie’s name likely will be on it. While athletic brands have made strong inroads into the game of golf, Scott has favored apparel labels that place a premium on fashion and performance. Not surprisingly, he subscribes to the “look good, feel good, play greatâ€� mentality. “I’ve enjoyed the fashion on the golf course,â€� Scott said. “If I think back to my childhood, my favorite was always Greg Norman. I thought he presented himself very well.â€� In 2013, Scott’s passion for fashion led him to Uniqlo. Scott was drawn to Uniqlo’s philosophy that clothing is lifewear. Trying to escape the typical golf uniform, he liked that the brand’s apparel could easily transition to off-course settings. “They don’t really pigeonhole one product into a certain category,â€� Scott said. “The pair of pants I wear on the golf course could be the pair of pants somebody wears to the office. It could be the pair of pants they wear out to dinner at night. It’s whatever you want to make it.â€� Scott began wearing Uniqlo’s threads at the Masters that year. At the end of the week, he added another key piece to his new wardrobe — a green jacket. Fast forward six years and Scott was once again making a buzz at Augusta National in Uniqlo’s sophisticated looks. This time it was due to a double-pleated trouser, which is part of Uniqlo’s new U line. This vintage golf look is one Scott will continue to sport at the other major championships this year, including this week’s PGA Championship. “I think the skinny tapered trouser has certainly run on trend for a long time now,â€� he said. “We talked a lot last year about relaxing the silhouettes a little bit and then also relying on the team at Uniqlo U, which is headed by Christophe Lemaire, who’s an incredible designer, to add some detail and more fashion elements. So that’s when the pleats came back in.â€� In working with Lemaire and his team, Scott turned to old photographs of Ben Hogan, Claude Harmon, Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead for inspiration. The result was a ‘new classic’ trouser with a modern feel and a relaxed urban style. Beyond the actual silhouette, Scott also worked with the design team to dial in the proper blend of fabrics. The pants are constructed of a wool-like polyester with the addition of Toray, a breathable, water-repellent fabric. The combination provides him with the vintage drape he wants while also delivering the necessary performance qualities. “With the wool-like polyester, the pants have been incredibly comfortable,â€� Scott said. “It was almost unseasonably warm and humid at Augusta. I certainly had no problem playing in these. They’re very lightweight.â€� So what was the reaction to Scott’s pleats from the other players? “It was noticed, that’s for sure,â€� he said. “I certainly don’t think anything I wore at the Masters was outrageous. It was paying tribute to the great vintage golf styling of the past. The trousers were obvious because they were much roomier than most of the other guys’ trousers. A few guys looked like they would be pretty happy to dig in their closet from 15 years ago and bust out their double pleats again.â€� As much attention as the pleated trousers received, Scott’s choice of a 100% Supima cotton polo also made him stand out from the crowd. Besides, pairing a slim-fitting, high-tech polo with a classic pair of trousers just wouldn’t work. The luxurious cotton and the looser fit fed into his “new classicâ€� silhouette and gave off an air of old school sophistication. “With the Supima cotton polo shirt, the material just looks a lot better than the very technical ones,â€� Scott explained. “In testing, there was no kind of restriction, even if it is unseasonably hot at Pebble Beach or even at the PGA [Championship]. I am not going to have any problem at all playing in it, especially with the Airism underneath.â€� The Airism that Scott is referring to is Uniqlo’s high-tech, Poly/Spandex undershirt, a piece of clothing that he wears on a daily basis. “It is a cooling material,â€� he said. “I’ve played golf with an Airism underneath my polos since I joined Uniqlo. It’s just part of my daily life. It’s so lightweight, you can’t even feel it and most people don’t even see it underneath my shirt. I’ll be wearing that underneath the Supima cotton polo.â€� Looking forward this week to Bethpage Black, Scott will continue the vintage look that he debuted at Augusta. He’ll start the tournament in a soft, yet energetic lilac polo before turning to classic navy, white, and black shirts the remaining three days. With temperatures expected to be cool, Adam will layer up with one of his go-to pieces—Uniqlo’s Merino sweater. “The Merino sweater is a Uniqlo staple,â€� he said. “It’s one of my favorite items to travel with. The ones I’m wearing out of the Uniqlo U range have more detail on the shoulder and collar, plus more stretch, which is very nice.â€� At the U.S. Open in June, Scott will sport classic looks that complement Pebble Beach’s laid-back resort vibe. Inspired by designs from the Golden Era of golf, he will pair wide-leg, relaxed bottoms with an open collar polo. The color palette that Uniqlo has created is a great example of how the brand is in tune with the player’s personality and style. Combining Adam’s love of surfing with Pebble Beach’s crashing waves, Uniqlo will dress him in refined earth tones that possess a vintage surfing attitude. “At the moment I’m into the whole vintage thing,â€� Scott said. “I’m really enjoying having a bit of a change of pace at the majors with the clothing and the silhouettes this year. Some of those colors are more me, too. The bright colors have their moments. But the colorful washed-out tones or bright earthy tones are more my style. It’s kind of that understated elegance. That’s probably more suited to my personality on the golf course.â€� Of course, these “new classicâ€� looks wouldn’t be complete without proper kicks. After a bit of experimenting, Scott decided to lace up shoes from FootJoy’s 1857 Collection with premium Italian calfskin leathers, leather outsoles, full leather linings, and traditional stacked heels. “I played in FootJoy Classics for the first 10 years of my career and it’s almost like walking back into my youth,â€� he said. “They have a little bit more of a pronounced heel and the angle from the heel to the forefoot is a little different from what I’ve been wearing. I got into a setup position with them and they felt really good. I’m going to continue wearing them for the time being, and certainly through this major season where I think they complement the clothing very well.â€� Scott is careful to mention that his new looks aren’t about recreating outfits from the past, though. Instead, he is creating modern versions of classic looks that can go anywhere and do anything. “Certainly, we’re not trying to go back and be like Ben Hogan,â€� he said. “This is more about the modern classic, but also being able to walk right off the course and out to dinner or into the office and be stylish.â€�

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Webb Simpson had just shot 64 and was packing his things in the parking lot when he and his caddie, Paul Tesori, were asked how TPC Southwind was playing. “Harder,” Simpson said. “Really windy,” Tesori added. Indeed, Sunday put the wind in Southwind. That wind, plus a slow-play warning, brought chaos to the conclusion of the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. Harris English, who had looked in control after taking a two-shot lead into the back nine, hit tee shots into the water at the par-3 11th and 14th holes, double-bogeyed both, and suddenly there was a five-way tie at the top. He had one last gasp to save the tournament, but after dropping one more shot on 16 failed to birdie the 18th hole and walked away with a 3-over 73, one shot out of a playoff. “Yeah, we were warned on the front nine (to pick up the pace),” said English, who was trying to become the first three-time PGA TOUR winner this season (Sentry Tournament of Champions, Travelers Championship) and came into the week fifth in the FedExCup. “Kind of got behind, felt like we were running pretty much the whole round and never really caught up.” The final twosome was first warned on the fifth hole, English said. Bryson DeChambeau needing a ruling at the sixth didn’t help, and poor play by both players set them back even further. A left-to-right wind exacerbated anything that leaked right on 14, and a rushed English took his hand off the club as his tee shot never came close to finding land. It was the killing shot, allowing a handful of players back into the tournament and knocking English for a loop. “You definitely start the day in one rhythm and then you kind of get out of that having to walk faster, having to do everything a little faster because you don’t want to get a bad time,” he said. “It was tough, the wind was swirling obviously coming down the stretch, there was some very important shots in there and it was tough. But I’ve got to learn to slow down, go through my routine and not really worry about being put on the clock.” He missed a birdie try from just over 12 1/2 feet on 18. English was vying to surpass Collin Morikawa at FedExCup No. 1, and to be the third wire-to-wire to winner in this event after Tiger Woods (2000) and Stewart Cink (’04), both of whom accomplished the feat at Firestone South. Now he’ll move forward knowing that 63 really good holes were wiped out by a back-nine 40. “It’s just tough to rush like that,” he said. “We were getting warned on the front nine and it’s tough to catch up. I made double on 11, Bryson made triple, and you can’t catch up doing that. From 12 on I felt like we were running. “And it’s tough out there,” he continued. “The wind’s picking up. Obviously, there’s some really good pins out here. You’re trying to win a championship and it’s hard. I don’t really like speeding up like that or feeling like I’m rushed, but I’ve got to get better at that.”

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