CHARLOTTE—We are not ones to be smitten with sponsor activations. But give Rickie Fowler and Cobra this—they know how to lean into local culture.
At this week's PGA Championship, the former Players champ is rocking a bag doused in teal, dark purple and white, a nod to Quail Hollow's local NBA franchise, the Charlotte Hornets. The vibrant design, reminiscent of the team's iconic color scheme, has turned heads across the course since practice rounds began on Monday. For folks of a certain age, it looks like a 1990s Starter jacket come to life, evoking nostalgic memories of the NBA's golden era when Charlotte's basketball identity of Grandmama Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning came to life.
The best part? As captured by our Jonathan Wall, the bottom of the bag is a basketball print.
We only wish Fowler would have completed the ensemble with a Muggsy Bogues jersey, though that seems more of a choice out of the Jason Day/Malbon playbook.
Granted, maybe not the best thing for Fowler—a man who's in the field thanks to a special exemption and still searching for his first major victory—to be paying homage to one of the worst teams in the league. And the bag doesn't exactly go well with his blue-and-red outfit on Thursday. But already a fan favorite, Fowler's bag will have the galleries in his corner this weekend at Quail.