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Does Nike own Tiger Woods’ name? Agent says no

By Cameron La Fontaine

Jul 31, 2014; Akron, OH, USA; Tiger Woods tees off on the sixth hole during the first round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational golf tournament at Firestone Country Club - South Course. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 31, 2014; Akron, OH, USA; Tiger Woods tees off on the sixth hole during the first round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational golf tournament at Firestone Country Club - South Course. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tiger Woods is opening a restaurant in Jupiter, FL later this spring, but reports surfaced he can’t name it after himself.

Tiger Woods is set to open a restaurant later this spring near his home in Jupiter, FL where he will spend $1,000 per square foot in the construction of the restaurant which will total over $8 million for the construction.

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The name of Tiger’s restaurant is reportedly supposed to be The Woods Jupiter: Sports and Dining Club. But, a report by Golf.com stated that Tiger’s partner in the restaurant, Nicholas Mastroianni II said he was told that Nike “has the rights to the name Tiger Woods” which is why Woods’ full name can’t be in the name of the restaurant.

Nike has been Tiger Woods’ main sponsor in golf since he became a pro in 1996 and the golf superstar has recently signed a deal with Nike that won’t expire until the end of his career.

After this report, Tiger Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg refuted the claims that Nike owns the name “Tiger Woods.”

“I can’t imagine how this could have been communicated this way. It is wholly inaccurate and categorically false,” Steinberg said in a statement according to the Golf Channel. “Tiger owns his own name and always had. He can use his name in any form he chooses. Nike would confirm that if asked.”

Later Wednesday, a Nike spokeswoman confirmed Steinberg’s statement.

“Nike does not own the name ‘Tiger Woods.’ We can confirm that Mark Steinberg’s comments are accurate.”

So it looks like the 14-time major tournament winner won’t have any problems with the name of his restaurant after all.

Tiger Woods is arguably the greatest golfer to ever play the game. The 38-year-old has won 14 major tournaments in his career, but he hasn’t won a major since 2008 and has dealt with a multitude of knee and back injuries in recent years.

Tiger made his return to the PGA Tour after undergoing back surgery in the Phoenix Open in January, where he missed the cut. He then played in the Farmers Insurance Open in February, but withdrew due to back problems. Since then, Tiger has taken a leave of absence until his game is tournament ready, and he’s expected to return sometime in March, before the first major tournament of the year, The Masters begins on April 9.

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