NCAA golf | New-look numbered 'jerseys' turn heads at men's, women's tournaments

BRADENTON -- When Cheng-Tsung Pan finished his opening round Friday at the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships, he had a chance to meet with some of his former IMG Academy coaches, who quickly took note of a quirk in his attire.

His purple-and-white collared University of Washington shirt had a No. 7 on the back.

When Nike wants to make a splash, it gets noticed, and its decision to give several of the schools it sponsors numbered shirts made a style statement at the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Championships at The Concession Golf Club.

"It's a new thing they're trying out for the first time," said Pan, who finished runner-up to SMU's Bryson Dechambeau in the individual standings. "They thought it was pretty cool, and I thought it's pretty cool."

During the 1960s, numbered jerseys were briefly in style for collegiate golf. Houston popularized the style during its dynastic run of 12 national championships in 15 years during the '50s and '60s. The look faded, though, giving way to a more traditional look of matching colors or shirts for teams.

This year, the style returned, thanks to an arms race between apparel companies. Nike, trying to be the first to an innovative look, outfitted several of its schools with number-clad golf shirts. The Huskies, USC, Georgia, Duke and Oregon all donned the new-look "jerseys."

"You said jerseys," UW head coach Matt Thurmond said. "A lot of people say uniforms or shirts. In sports, you have jerseys, and it's about time golf had a jersey."

At first, his players were unsure. The discussion first came up about two years ago as collegiate golf grew as a television sport. In most sports, viewers and reporters can quickly identify players by number, even when faces are obscured.

Why shouldn't NCAA golf be the same?

It was a change, though, in a sport more steeped in tradition than most.

"It was kind of a weird concept at first," said Washington freshman Frank Garber, who wore No. 9. "It kind of looks like a soccer jersey."

Nike has a few different looks. The Huskies' shirt fades from purple to white starting at the bottom and has a big number on the back, hence the soccer jersey comparison. The Blue Devils' is all blue with a number on the back and "Duke" where typical jerseys would have a player name.

The Ducks' and Bulldogs' shirts are more subtle with just an outline of the number on their left sleeve.

"At first we were like, 'Huh? Numbers? Golf?' We'd never heard of it, but I think it turned out nice," said Georgia freshman Zach Healy, No. 11. "It's kind of edgy. I guess Nike's trying to do something different like they always do."

Healy chose No. 11 because No. 1 was taken. Garber chose No. 9 simply because it was the first number that popped into his head.

For others, the ability to choose a number gave them an outlet to express their personality. Just at UW, junior Jonathan Sanders was able to bring back No. 12 from his days as a soccer player, Pan could wear his lucky No. 7, and sophomore Corey Pereira, who shot a 62 last summer, could use his No. 61 as a reminder for a new goal.

"I don't have one," Thurmond said. He doesn't get to dress like the team. "I was kind of disappointed in that."

Thurmond envisions this as something that could become the norm in team golf. He said he thinks high school teams should use numbered jerseys, as well, and figures the introduction in the college ranks is part of a larger plan for Nike to release team golf apparel.

It's worth noting that while Nike didn't provide the actual jerseys for U.S. team at the 2014 Ryder Cup, the company does provide apparel for the event.

The new look definitely does have one thing going for it: "Number apart," Sanders said, "it's just a cool shirt."

This story was originally published June 2, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "NCAA golf | New-look numbered 'jerseys' turn heads at men's, women's tournaments."