Although Adam Scott, Keith Mitchell and Jason Day dress very differently, their styles are derived from the same guiding principle: Unapologetic individuality.
Much like a short par 4, being one of the best-dressed players in golf comes with an element of risk and reward. Unlike most of us trying out those new pleated slacks, however, Adam Scott, Jason Day and Keith Mitchell’s style statements aren’t made in anonymity but on the game’s biggest stages. They pull up to the first tee in never-before-seen looks, partner with apparel brands outside the traditional golf ecosystem and invite conversation, praise and criticism along the way. While other players continue to recycle the same formula of performance fabrics, slim silhouettes and loud prints, this trio is bringing individuality back to the course and helping golf fashion reconnect with its soul.
The results of our most recent survey of PGA Tour pros about who is best dressed make it clear that this shift is having an impact. Scott and Mitchell finished first and second in the voting (Mitchell won our inaugural award in 2024), with Day not too far behind, showing that even fellow tour players are growing weary of the copy-and-paste looks that have dominated the fairways for more than a decade. Third-place finisher Billy Horschel called out the problem – too many guys look interchangeable out here. As Scott, Mitchell and especially Day bring individuality back into focus, more players are turning to them for inspiration.
Of course, standing out doesn’t necessarily mean getting it right. For every bold success story, there are countless players who have dared to be different and found themselves on the wrong side of golf fashion. What separates Scott, Mitchell and Day from the rest is not only their distinct points of view but their execution.
Together, they offer three different answers to the question: what is golf fashion today? The real takeaway is that players can provide multiple correct answers. From the PGA Tour to your local course and even on YouTube, golf style feels less like a uniform and more like a statement thanks to these three fashion trailblazers, among others.
Jason Day
Jason Day is the disruptor. His style is bold, expressive and at times divisive. No player is moving the golf fashion needle quite like Day. Together with Malbon, he is challenging the status quo while creating a buzz on the fairways and social media.
Unlike his countryman Adam Scott, who’s been a fashion icon since he stepped on tour, Day’s ascent to the top of the game’s style scene is more recent. Day’s split from Nike at the end of 2023 created an opportunity to reinvent his style with Malbon, and the relationship has been a smash hit for both the 2015 PGA Championship winner and the brand. Day gave Malbon awareness and legitimacy with serious golfers, while Malbon gave the 38-year-old Queenslander the ability to stand out from the crowd with a one-of-a-kind look.
Day’s move wasn’t just a wardrobe change, though. It completely shook up the golf-style landscape. He fully embraced Malbon’s streetwear-inspired aesthetic, signalling a break from the athleisure-heavy looks that have ruled the tour for years. In doing so, Day has become the face of a new era where casual, street-style vibes are no longer frowned upon. Instead, they’re redefining the look of the game.
If this feels familiar, it should. Twenty years ago, Jesper Parnevik and J.Lindeberg sparked a golf-fashion movement with slim-fit trousers, bold colour-blocked polos and statement-making belt buckles. Now, Day and Malbon are pulling off a similar move but in the opposite direction, with relaxed proportions and straight-leg pants with fuller breaks.
Like Scott and Mitchell, Day is very intentional with his style. He is dressing less like a sponsored athlete and more like your cool mate who is plugged into modern fashion trends. He’s the kind of player who understands the finer details and knows how to use elements like texture, volume and drape to take his looks to another level.
Of course, there is a touch of irreverence to Day’s style that screams “Golf apparel can be anything it wants to be today!” As with any good disruptor, Day has ruffled some feathers along the way, such as the so-called “banned sweater vest” at the Masters, the groutfit sweatsuit at Pebble Beach and the large logo that had to be taped over at Torrey Pines.
The waves Day has been making haven’t been limited to apparel, either. While rebooting his wardrobe, he opted against the typical sporty wrap-around sunglasses in favour of more fashionable tortoise shell frames.
In 2024, Day also took an equity stake in rising footwear brand PAYNTR. With Day actively involved in the design and testing process, PAYNTR has quickly built momentum by engineering shoes around biomechanics and ground-force research tailored for the modern swing, then wrapping all that performance in a clean aesthetic. Subtle style details, like gator-print mud guards, add an edge while keeping the look more sophisticated than a sneaker.
What makes Day’s story so compelling is the timing. Golf fashion has never had more influence from more diverse cultures. As a result, it has never had this number of options. His style isn’t just about personal expression but a glimpse into where golf fashion is headed. The future is wide open for players and brands to redefine what golf apparel and footwear look like, and Day is pushing that narrative forward.
Keith Mitchell
While Jason Day is setting trends, Keith Mitchell is reviving them. There is no doubt that golf fashion is experiencing a period of nostalgia, and no one is channeling those iconic tour vibes with more confidence and taste than Mitchell. His references are pulled from golf fashion’s glory days and big personalities like Seve Ballesteros and Arnold Palmer.
What makes Mitchell’s transformation even more impressive is where he started. Like Day, the end of a Nike contract opened the door for Mitchell to develop his own distinctive style. This path took him to American menswear designer Sid Mashburn. Mitchell, 34, frequently shopped Mashburn’s stores for his off-course wardrobe, and together they crafted an on-course collection that reads like a greatest-hits album of golf style. The tab-waisted trousers are a nod to the ’70s, the extended-placket cotton polos bring back the clean, sporty feel of the ’60s and the high-crown tour visors deliver old-school ’80s cool.
While most of the tour is still locked into performance fabrics, Mitchell has gone in the opposite direction. His looks are based on menswear tradition and built on natural materials, classic silhouettes and a level of restraint that feels almost rebellious in today’s era of loud prints. The result is clothing that moves beautifully, breathes naturally and looks intentional rather than manufactured.
On tour, game respects game and style respects style, and Mitchell’s fashion renaissance hasn’t gone unnoticed by his peers. When asked about the PGA Tour’s best-dressed players, this year’s survey winner, Adam Scott, didn’t hesitate to name Mitchell. “I think Keith makes a great effort with his clothing, and I think he’s got a very modern take on a traditional style.”
Mitchell’s superpower is his commitment to subtlety. His colour palette lives mostly in neutral hues – soft creams, warm browns, dusty blues and muted greens. This allows him to mix and match effortlessly while keeping his fits cohesive. When he does introduce a pop of colour, it is never loud or flashy. From a distance, his outfits appear simple, but up close, they reveal subtle plaids, seersucker textures and pique cottons that add depth and dimension.
Then there are the trousers. Mitchell has nearly single-handedly brought back the single-pleat pant on tour. These aren’t the baggy pants of the ’80s, though. His are straight and tailored to perfection with the hems just grazing the tops of his shoes. Mitchell’s wardrobe feels elegant and grown up. Tying it all together are FootJoy Premiere Series shoes, which put a modern spin on the classic saddle shoe and brogue that perfectly jibes with his old-school aesthetic.
Of course, the high-crown visor has become the signature piece of Mitchell’s looks. No one else wears it with the same flair. On some players, it might feel like part of a costume, but on Mitchell, it feels authentic. It’s the exclamation point on his style statement that pulls it all together.
Adam Scott
While Mitchell and Day made calculated reboots of their wardrobes to climb the tour’s best-dressed list, Scott, 45, has been turning fairways into runways since he turned professional at age 20. Early in his career, his style felt as unattainable as his swing for the average golfer, with fashion houses like Burberry, J.Lindeberg and Aquascutum dressing the Aussie in their luxurious threads.
That shifted on the eve of the 2013 Masters when Scott signed on to become the face of the new Uniqlo golf collection. In a dream scenario, he slipped on the green jacket that same week, and neither the brand nor the player has looked back. Six years later, the partnership pushed boundaries even further when Scott took another gamble and teed it up in wide-pleated trousers at the peak of the slim-fit era.
That week quietly remapped Scott’s fashion journey. Since then, he has leaned into more relaxed silhouettes, creating a look that he owns. It’s a vision rooted in a modern-classic philosophy, one that views the elegance of earlier eras when silhouettes were wider and proportions felt intentional, through a contemporary lens. Scott isn’t chasing trends. Instead, he’s editing history and making it feel fresh again.
While many assume Scott is channeling Palmer or Hogan from golf’s Golden Era, one of his central reference points is actually a GOAT from a different sport: Michael Jordan. “Occasionally I’ll find a picture of inspiration, and at some point, it was a picture of Michael Jordan golfing in quite baggy trousers. Definitely the wider silhouette, I’ve played in that over the past seven or eight years at majors,” Scott said.
At its core, Scott’s approach to golf fashion is simple: look good, feel good, play good. That mindset aligns perfectly with Uniqlo’s quiet-luxury DNA, allowing Scott to turn everyday pieces into sophisticated looks. If there is a lesson from Scott’s style for the everyday golfer, it’s that the best wardrobes are built on timeless foundations.
“A lot of people who know Uniqlo have staples in their wardrobe from the brand. It is always on point. It is never really a trend, and that’s suited my style,” Scott explained.
That sense of effortless refinement gives his looks just enough of a modern edge to feel current. They’re anchored by clean lines, solid-on-solid combinations and neutral tones like charcoal, navy and beige. It’s a palette that may seem safe, but when wielded correctly, it can appear polished and effortless. Those rock-solid foundations allow Scott, like Mitchell, to easily mix and match tops and bottoms to keep his fits looking fresh.
At the same time, Scott understands how fabric choices shape performance and presence. His luxurious blends add structure to support his relaxed silhouettes, while still stretching and breathing without ever looking technical. Whereas many players let logos do the talking, Scott and Uniqlo keep the branding to a minimum, letting proportions, tailoring and overall composition take centre stage.
Adam Scott’s style is smart and subtle but most importantly, for the average golfer looking for inspiration, seriously wearable. His golf-fashion ethos is about clothes that perform, cuts that flatter and colours that are timeless. He is proof that when simplicity is executed properly, it can be the strongest statement of all.
Look closely at these three players. It’s clear that golf fashion isn’t about unbreakable rules anymore. It’s about identity. It’s about knowing who you are and what you represent, and dressing in a way that reinforces your point of view. Scott, Mitchell and Day are bringing their own personalities and interpretations of what golf fashion is to the course, while inspiring players of all abilities to express themselves.
2026 PGA Tour pros say who wore it best
The words of Keith Mitchell, Golf Digest’s Best Dressed PGA Tour Pro of 2024, still echo two years later, even if “Cashmere Keith” isn’t the winner in our 2026 player survey.
“Too scripted” was Mitchell’s take in assessing how the modern tour pro dresses on the course. This is not exactly a modern problem. The issue has existed since before the invention of metal drivers; Payne Stewart only began to wear Hogan caps and plus-fours after crossing paths with another player wearing his exact same previous outfit.
In our recent survey of more than 50 tour players, the voting reflected golf’s growing fatigue with fashion familiarity. While Mitchell once again received plenty of support, the winner of Golf Digest’s 2026 Best Dressed on Tour honours was none other than Adam Scott.
Scott has been a brand ambassador for Uniqlo since 2013, not only wearing its apparel in all competitions but also collaborating on special luxury fashion collections with Dutch designer Lucas Ossendrijver. The former Masters champion was recognised by his peers as much for the style of his clothing as how he presented it. You might call it the “cut of his jib” standard.
This seemed to steer the question of best-dressed in men’s golf from “who wears the best stuff?” to something along the lines of “who wears it best?”
“You’ve got to look at what the fabric does on the body, from linen to a wool to a cashmere,” Jason Day says of his countryman’s style. “Adam is very fit, and it helps to be good looking, as well. You know what I mean? He has good style because his is like a mix of traditional; if you look at his pants, he’ll wear some pleated pants, which are nice. He’ll also have the athletic tops that Uniqlo sells, which are great, and some really good sweaters. So there’s a mixture. The way that his clothes sit on his body is the way that clothes are supposed to sit.
“Adam doesn’t fall into the cookie-cutter category that a lot of guys do,” Day added.
The same goes for Mitchell.
“It really seems like nearly everyone goes for the same look, which is why Keith tends to stand out,” said Billy Horschel, ambassador for RLX, who finished in third place.
Joe Highsmith, a first-time tour winner in 2025, added, “There’s not many guys that I would say are very well dressed. Everyone kind of wears the same athletic style, maybe a little flash in the shirt and then the same kind of pants. Keith switches it up, and he’s a little unique with what he wears, and he’s always looking pretty good.”
If today’s scripting has yielded fashion that is too similar, say several tour members, one player who is exempt is Day, whose choices in partnership with Malbon Golf swing from traditional to trailblazing. At least he’s trying when he goes avant-garde.
That said, Day was by far the most polarising player in our poll. He received several best-dressed votes but also a couple of “definitely not Jason Day” remarks.
“I do teeter on the edge sometimes,” admitted Day, who wore a sweater vest during the 2024 Masters that spilled over that edge, prompting Augusta National officials to request he take it off. “I’m endorsed to help build a brand, so when we are trying to build a brand, we’ve got to try to keep people guessing. I want to try to take it to the edge where people are going, ‘What is he wearing?’ and then I bring it back to some traditional golf stuff. I’m very bipolar in the way that I dress sometimes, but it gets noticed.”
Zac Blair was decidedly in Day’s camp.
“There are some days when Jason looks very buttoned up and traditional and old school, and other days it’s pretty flamboyant and wild,” Blair said, “and some of those days I think they’re almost so wild that they sort of work out, and they look good. But his down-the-middle look is really good, too.”
Down the middle. Yeah, it might be predictable, but it works for a lot of guys.
Photographs by Stephen Denton
