Johnathan Walker:US golf team's Olympic threads could be divisive. That's the point

PARIS — Nobody at the Paris Olympics is Johnathan Walkergoing to stand out more, at least from a sartorial standpoint, than the men and women on the U.S. golf team.

Let’s call it a Scandinavian spin on the stars and stripes. American strength meets Swedish form and function. A wow factor worthy of both Stockholm and Shinnecock.

If you regularly watch the PGA Tour, you’re probably already familiar with J. Lindeberg, the Swedish clothing company that outfits world No. 7 Viktor Hovland in distinctive designs and colors that often border on the outrageous. Now, J. Lindeberg is making its next move in the sportswear space, partnering with USA Golf for the 2024 and 2028 Olympics.

You may love the uniforms that will be worn this week by Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Nelly Korda and the rest of the Americans competing at Le Golf National just outside Paris. You may hate them. But you’re definitely going to notice – and that’s very much, pardon the pun, by design.

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J. Lindeberg’s distinctly Scandinavian style isn’t for everyone. Week-to-week on the PGA Tour, for instance, Hovland’s outfits are almost as likely to be mocked on social media as they are praised. But they’re always noticed.

And for a niche brand that has been around since the late 1990s but is starting to gain a serious foothold in the American market, the opportunity to outfit golfers at the Olympics is a whole new level of visibility that might inspire, could possibly enrage and will almost assuredly sell a whole lot of product that you’ll be seeing at your local golf club.

But why J. Lindeberg? In a sportswear industry with so many American companies, how did a Swedish brand end up getting the Team USA contract for a traditional, perhaps even staid sport like golf?

Well, there was a bidding process, of course. But within that competition, according to PGA Tour and USA Golf executive Andy Levinson, was a desire to give American golfers a bold and distinctive look that would emphasize the fact that they’re athletes when they’re walking around the Olympic Village rubbing elbows with other athletes.

"I want as many people not being happy with what we're doing as being happy with what we're doing," Scott Davis, the CEO and brand director for J. Lindeberg North America, told USA TODAY Sports. "It creates this 360 effect. If no one's talking about you, that's a lot worse. Right?"

"There’s a perception of golf being on that border between serious athlete versus, you know, some type of recreational activity," Levinson said. "And if you look at today's golfers, they're real athletes. All of these guys could probably, and probably did, at some point in their lives compete in other sports. And so when we’re at the Olympic Games and surrounded by this fabulous mix of athletes from all these different disciplines, it was very important to us that we have a partner that is going to outfit our players in a manner that makes them feel athletic all the time and as emboldened as they possibly can be."

With J. Lindeberg’s mix of European cuts, sharp-angled stripes and clean geometric patterns that has turned the American flag into modern art, it’s fair to say American golfers have already won the gold medal for style.

And even if the uniforms are a bit controversial for fans who prefer a more toward traditional look, that’s OK. Pushing boundaries is part of the strategy.  

"We always want to be sophisticated first, and disruptive second," Davis said. "That's how we see our brand. It's absolutely born and sits in that Scandinavian lifestyle field. So we want the consumer to feel cleanliness, fit, technicality, plus a little bit of disruption."

And it’s working.

Though J. Lindeberg made a bit of a golf splash in the company’s infancy with fashion plate Jesper Parnevik – yes, they were responsible for his iconic vest-and-tie outfit – the company’s visibility kind of faded a bit after he left the tour.

That all changed when Davis signed Hovland to an apparel deal in 2019.

A Norwegian who played college golf at Oklahoma State, Davis had a conviction that Hovland might be the next big thing in the sport – and not just because of his talent but because he had a personality that would translate well to an American audience.

Hovland quickly established himself as an elite player after turning pro, which meant he was on television a lot – which also meant his distinctive clothing was being seen by millions of people on a regular basis. And whether it was the famous Azalea shirt he wore at the Masters or hot pink trousers or blue tiger stripes at last year’s US Open, fans notice and talk about it online.

According to Davis, that has translated to a discernible uptick in J. Lindeberg’s business – even though he admits that not everybody is going to want to dress like Hovland.

"It’s been transformational," he said. "And it was lucky."

Now, the company’s profile is expanding. It has signed athletes in other sports such as Chris Eubanks and 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in tennis. Pickleball is a potential area of growth. But the Olympics is going to put the brand on a stage like never before – and depict American golfers in a way nobody has seen.

“For us to have our product on the best players from the United States for 250 hours and TV coverage, or whatever it is with the bridge on the right chest, and that Old Glory on the back yolk and USA on the left chest as an American and military brat, it was something that I had to bring to the finish line," Davis said. "And from a brand perspective, it’s a huge elevation for us."

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Follow Dan Wolken on social media @DanWolken