Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard of Forrest Fezler.
And pour yourself a tall one if you know why his name is important.
The folks at adidas know, and they remember. And they’re honoring Fezler’s landmark accomplishment at this week’s PGA Championship.
“Accomplishment” might be an overstatement, but Fezler, you see, was the first and so far the only professional golfer to wear shorts during an official major. adidas is giving Fezler his posthumous props this week by “signing” him to an NIL deal to promote its new Ultimate365+ golf shorts.
Okay, this one requires some explanation.
Forest Fezler and the 1983 U.S. Open
The PGA Tour and the USGA are famous for their “pants only” policy. If you’re playing in their professional events, you have to wear long pants. Fezler gained notoriety at the U.S. Open at Oakmont in 1983 for wearing shorts to play his 72nd hole.
As he approached the 18th tee on the final day of the tournament, Fezler ducked into a nearby port-a-potty, changed out of his pants and into a pair of Bermuda shorts. He played the final hole in shorts, making him the only male player to post an official score while wearing anything that finished above the knee.
We’ll get to why Fezler did such a thing in a minute but know that adidas is choosing Fezler’s subtle act of subversion to promote its new shorts at this week’s PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club outside of Philadelphia. The company is erecting a commemorative statue of Fezler, wearing his shorts, in Dilworth Park next to City Hall in downtown Philly. It’ll be there today through Sunday.
Additionally, adidas athletes will be sporting a special edition patch on their shirts all week. They’ll also be wearing shorts (weather permitting) during practice rounds today and tomorrow. The adidas Instagram account will also be honoring Fezler this week.
In the world of creative marketing campaigns, this one reaches new levels since Fezler died in 2018.
Who was Forest Fezler, and why did he wear the shorts?
Forest Fezler was the PGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year in 1973. He earned only one single victory in his 12-year career, the 1974 Southern Open. His best showing in a major also came in ’74, when he finished second to Hale Irwin at that year’s U.S. Open known as “The Massacre at Winged Foot.”
Fezler was a rising star at the time, but a serious wrist injury in 1976 derailed what had been a promising career.
The whole shorts incident took place at the ’83 Open at Oakmont, perhaps the most traditional (or “stodgy,” if you prefer) club in all of goldom. Fezler had run afoul of the USGA two years earlier at the U.S. Open at Merion when he challenged – and won – a bogus “slow play” penalty.
As Fezler approached the 72nd tee, he ducked into a porta-potty some 100 yards from the tee box, changed into his shorts and proceeded to hook his tee shot into heavy rough. He punched out and finished with a bogey. He then hurried into the scorer’s tent, signed his card and promptly left.
Fezler warned an Associated Press photographer what he was up to, ensuring that his protest would live on.
Fezler retired from the Tour the following year. He made a name for himself in the ‘90s for course design and construction, famously partnering with Mike Strantz. He also collaborated on courses with the likes of Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Tom Fazio. Fezler later designed and built his own course, the Golden Eagle Golf Club in Tallahassee.
He died of brain cancer in 2018.
Marketing 101 says…
…If you’re going to do something crazy, make it fun.
Give adidas its props for this one. Yes, it’s a crazy way to promote a pair of golf shorts. But is sure as hell qualifies as fun.
Fezler’s protest seems mild today, but at the time is was a clever in-your-face gesture to the game’s ruling overlords. It was also very much on-brand for the rebellious Fezler. That adidas chose this event to leverage Fezler’s stunt to promote a pair of golf shorts is also very much on brand.
The USGA and PGA Tour still cling to their “long pants” policy today, no matter the weather. LIV, during its 2022 inaugural season, famously allowed players to wear shorts at its Boston event. That policy changed last year, requiring players to wear long pants unless temperatures topped 90 degrees. At that point, shorts are allowed.