Jason Day, Malbon Golf proving to be perfect match

Editor's note: Tune into NBC on Saturday, Aug. 24, at 2:30 p.m. ET for "PGA TOUR Originals The Life: A New Day presented by Malbon" for an in-depth look at Jason Day and Malbon Golf.

The first day of The Sentry, the PGA TOUR’s season-opening event in Maui, Hawaii, is akin to the first day of school. Not only are pros reunited with their peers to commence the new campaign, but they’re dressed and equipped to the nines with the latest and greatest from their (new) sponsors.

Many wear bright colors and floral patterns befitting the tropical setting, but even among those outfits, Jason Day’s look stood out above the rest this year. Day was making his debut as an ambassador of Malbon Golf, a streetwear brand that describes itself as “a lifestyle brand inspired by the game of golf.”

Day’s new look immediately made a statement. It was a departure from the norm on TOUR. Wearing an olive satin jacket and baggy pants of a lighter shade, some players mistook Day for an interloper who’d snuck his way onto the practice area.

“Even Joe (Skovron, the longtime TOUR caddie for Rickie Fowler, Tom Kim and Ludvig Åberg), was like, ‘I didn't know who it was. I didn't recognize the person,’” Day said Monday. “We're like, ‘How did that person get in here hitting balls on the range?’ It was just crazy. Everyone was looking at me giving me side-eye.”

Seeing Day without the trademark Nike swoosh was jarring enough. He’d worn Nike clothes for more than a decade, including the dominant years when he reached No. 1 in the world and won the PGA Championship and THE PLAYERS Championship.

Contributing to the confusion when Day arrived at Kapalua was the fact that he was wearing a brand that no player had previously worn on the PGA TOUR. Malbon’s unique look also brought back a vintage aesthetic that stood out among the slim and slender athletic fits that had become customary on TOUR.

Day’s shirt had a looser fit and longer sleeves than the athletic fit that has become standard on TOUR. It was reminiscent of the big, baggy shirts Tiger Woods wore early in his career.

“I'm more interested in having a more relaxed, loose-fitting type of clothing, especially out here because, obviously, the clothes that you see now these days, everything's very athletic looking,” Day said. “And there's nothing wrong with that. I'm just looking for a bit of a change and this is it.

“There's nothing worse than when you're playing golf and you put a sweater on or something like that and it just feels so restrictive. You're restricting your swing.”

Day knew before the big unveiling that he’d turn heads. If the reactions he received at Kapalua were any indication, his new partnership with Malbon would be the talk of the TOUR.

“That’s what got me excited, because I knew I was going to step on a golf course and no one else was going to look like me, which is great,” Day said. “Because that’s what I wanted as a player was just like, ‘OK, this is me and I’m going out to play golf.’”

While Day is admittedly not one to get caught up in social media discourse nor declare himself a fashion trailblazer, his headline-grabbing garb at The Sentry was a precursor for more to come. The new wardrobe has only drawn more eyeballs to Day and Malbon.

Stephen and Erica Malbon launched Malbon Golf in 2017. The game had come in and out of Stephen’s life, but he was hooked for good in his early 30s. While searching for something to wear on the course and at work as an agency creative director, the couple decided to combine their streetwear interests with the more traditional golf world.

Having grown the brand to the point where it made sense to sponsor a TOUR player, Malbon wasn’t just looking for a great golfer, but a great person.

“I’ve been a fan of his as long as I can remember,” Stephen Malbon said. “I think everyone cheers for Jason. He’s one of the most likable, nicest guys. He’s a great father, he’s a great husband, he’s a great guy. I think all of that comes first. Obviously, he’s really good at golf.”

After starting his Malbon era with a T10 finish at The Sentry, Day recorded consecutive top-10 finishes at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (T6) and The Genesis Invitational (ninth) in early February.

His best result of the year—T4 at the Wells Fargo Championship—was also a notable week due to his fashion. That Friday, he wore baggy, crème-colored pants and a button-down, short-sleeved shirt that featured brown-and-white vertical stripes and a chest pocket.

While the Wells Fargo was his best result in 2024, Day garnered the most headlines (and controversy) at the Masters Tournament. In the partnership’s boldest move to date, Day wore a white vest with “Malbon Golf Championship” in big letters written across the chest. Asked to remove the vest and doing so without hesitation because “it’s all about the tournament here, and I respect the tournament,” Malbon and Day dominated the talk of the tournament before Scottie Scheffler secured his second green jacket.

“I like that vest,” Day said. “A lot of people had mixed reviews about it. It definitely went kind of crazy for sure because, I mean, granted, I was playing with Tiger Woods as well. But yeah, ‘sweater gate’ is hilarious.”

Day’s new partnership with Malbon hasn’t only pushed golf fashion. It’s pushed Day, as well.

“I know at the start of the year I had a lot more eyes on me because of the stuff I was wearing,” Day said. “And did it make me nervous? No, it was more like, ‘Hey, you know, if I’m going to wear this, I’m going to wear it with confidence because it’s different from everything else.’

“And I’ve got to perform. I’ve got to play well.”