I received a lot of inquiries about the jacket that Rory McIlroy wore at the Wells Fargo Championship last week. Rory wore the jacket throughout the tournament in different colorways, and it is officially called the Nike Sport Fabric-Mix Hoodie.

See pics of Rory in each colorway here:

Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday

Here’s my review of the jacket:

There are probably many reasons why Rory chose this jacket for last week’s tournament, but one of them had to be due to the conditions in Charlotte. It was cloudy, chilly, and seemingly had impending rain…until it actually did rain on Sunday. The Nike Sport Fabric-Mix is literally a two part jacket constructed of ripstop polyester on the body, while the sleeves and back are a knit-terry like fabric. So basically the jacket protects your body from wind while allowing it to breathe, and provides resistance to rain, while the sleeves and back keep you warm and allow you to swing freely. Have a look at a close up here: You can see the contrast of the two fabrics.

The styling is the one of the better parts of the jacket. My favorite features are:

• Fit: This jacket is part of the Nike Golf Sport Collection which offers a slimmer fit. I have found that this has helped me swing since it reduced the bulk in the sleeve areas. The fabric sleeves also reduce the swish noise that some full poly jackets create when swinging or walking.
• Contrast Zipper: Particularly on the red and gray models, the contrast zipper provides a subtle pop of style.
• 3/4 Zipper: I really like how deep the zipper goes. Some half called this a half-zip, but it’s actually a 3/4 zip. You can zip it all the way down when it starts getting warmer. In general, it just provides you with more options on how you want to wear it.
• Kangaroo Pocket: Another reason why the zipper doesn’t go down all the way – because you can warm your hands up in the kangaroo pocket.
• Stretch cuffs: Ever try to hit a golf shot with cuffs that were too big? You won’t have that problem with this jacket.
• Swoosh Placement: Nike put the swoosh on the top left shoulder which is a pretty unique location.
• Packable Hood: Like Rory, you don’t have to leave the hood out because it tucks into the collar. Love the added versatility here.

Available colorways include:

• Red Reef (Rory’s Thursday jacket)
• Blackened Blue/Sail/Sail (Rory’s Friday jacket)
• Tarp Green/Sail/Sail (Rory’s Saturday jacket)
• Dark Gray Heather/Sail/Sail (Rory’s Sunday jacket)

Overview:

This jacket gets a high grade in my book because of its versatility on and off the course. It is also one of the more form-fitting jackets in the market, which you will typically not find in the golf apparel industry. It’s meets the needs of a stylish jacket to keep you warm on the course and to allow you to swing comfortably. What it isn’t is a rain jacket. You’d be better off with Nike Golf’s Storm-FIT Elite jacket which is a true rain coat. It is instead a jacket to break out when it’s a little chilly, there’s a chance of slight rain and when its windy – and of course you want to look good on the course. One key thing to remember is that the Sport Collection has a more slimmer fit and not everyone will be comfortable with that. The jacket does look great in person though, and at $90 retail I think it would make a suitable everyday jacket off the course in the Spring and Fall.

NGN Alan’s Grade: A-

Full Gallery: Photo credit to Golf Coast Pickers (10% off using GCPickers code), and Nike Golf.

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Editor’s note: The reviewer/author was not paid or compensated for this review, and the opinions expressed in the review are strictly those of the reviewer/author.