Rolex’s support of golf dates back to the days of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player – known as the Big Three – in 1967. Since then, Rolex watches have become a staple in the world of golf, and the Swiss watchmaking giant has expanded its commitment to the game through sponsorship of tournaments, including major championships, and top players.
Rolex’s extensive list of golf ambassadors includes some of the finest current and retired professional golfers in the entire game of golf. While most golfers don’t wear watches on the course, it’s rare to see one of these ambassadors without a beautiful Rolex watch on their wrist without a club. Ever wonder what Rolex sees Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Lexi Thompson and others wearing? Read on to find out what Rolex Golf Ambassadors like to wear most.
Tiger Woods Rolex Deepsea Sea-Dweller
ABOUT TIGER WOODS’ ROLEX DEEPSEA:
– Reference Number: 116660
– Case Size: 44mm
– Materials: Stainless Steel
– Functions: Time w/ Running Seconds, Date Display, Helium Escape Valve
– Dial: Black w/ Luminous Hour Markers
– Bezel: Unidirectional, Black Cerachrom Insert w/ 60-Minute Scale
– Crystal: Sapphire (Domed)
– Movement: Rolex Caliber 3135
– Strap/Bracelet: Oyster Bracelet
Is there a greater legend in the game of golf than Tiger Woods? We think not. The now 40-something player became a pro in 1996 and single-handedly transformed golf into a sport you want to play, not a sport you might laugh at. The five-time U.S. Masters champion, four-time PGA Championship winner, three-time U.S. Open champion and three-time British Open champion brought style and sportsmanship to golf – and youngsters everywhere want to be the next Tiger Woods.
In the late 1990s, Tudor (Rolex’s sister company) signed Tiger Woods as an ambassador, and the brand even launched a line of Oyster chronographs with the player’s name on them. After his partnership with Tudor, Tiger Woods joined the Tag Heuer family in 2003 and served as its spokesperson for eight years. Finally, in 2011, the Rolex Group brought Tiger Woods back into the fold – this time as a Rolex ambassador.
Since then, we’ve seen Tiger Woods wearing the Rolex Deepsea Sea-Dweller – the brand’s largest and most powerful dive watch. The thick and imposing 44mm Deepsea case is water-resistant to 12,800 feet (3,900 meters) and features a helium drain valve, Cerachrom ceramic bezel and a 5.5mm thick domed, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. While Rolex does offer a special D-Blue dial for the Deepsea (released in honor of James Cameron’s historic solo dive in 2012), Tiger Woods opted for the classic black dial version.
Justin Thomas – Rolex Daytona
ABOUT JUSTIN THOMAS’S ROLEX DAYTONA:
– Reference Number: 116509
– Case Size: 40mm
– Materials: 18k White Gold
– Functions: Time w/ Running Seconds, 12-Hour Chronograph
– Dial: Blue w/ Luminous Hour Markers
– Bezel: Fixed, 18k White Gold w/ Tachymeter Scale
– Crystal: Sapphire (Flat)
– Movement: Rolex Caliber 4130
– Strap/Bracelet: Oyster Bracelet
Louisville native Justin Thomas became a professional in 2013, and less than five years later, he became the youngest player to shoot under 60 at the age of 24. He won the PGA Championship in 2017 and in March of 2021, and Justin Thomas shot a 4-under-par 68 in the final round to win the 2021 Players Championship.
Justin Thomas has been a part of the Rolex family for a few years now, and we’ve spotted him wearing some great watches, including the “Pepsi” GMT-Master II, the Sea-Dweller Diver, and the steel and platinum Yacht-Master 40, just to name a few. These days, however, we’ve noticed Justin Thomas wearing the incredible white gold Daytona 116509 with its bright blue dial and red hue – including the Daytona name in red.
Only a few Daytona models with metal bezels (instead of Cerachom ceramic bezels) remain in the current Rolex catalog, and the white gold 116509, which debuted in 2016 along with a yellow gold model with a green dial, is one of them.
Jon Rahm – Rolex Sky-Dweller
ABOUT JON RAHM’S ROLEX SKY-DWELLER:
– Reference Number: 326934
– Case Size: 42mm
– Materials: White Rolesor (Stainless Steel & 18k White Gold)
– Functions: Time w/ Running Seconds, Date Display, Month Display, Annual Calendar, GMT Functionality
– Dial: Blue w/ Luminous Hour Markers
– Bezel: Ring Command, 18k White Gold, Fluted Style
– Crystal: Sapphire (Flat w/ Cyclops Lens)
– Movement: Rolex Caliber 9001
– Strap/Bracelet: Oyster Bracelet
In June 2021, Jon Rahm became the first Spanish golfer to win the U.S. Open. That was his first big win, and for his performance on the 2020-21 US Tour, Jon Rahm was awarded the PGA Player of the Year for that season, in addition to the Vardon Trophy and the Byron Nelson Award.
As a Rolex Golf Ambassador, Jon Rahm has worn several different Rolex watches, including a two-tone gold and steel Daytona Chronograph and an 18k white gold GMT-Master II with a meteorite dial and blue and red “Pepsi” bezel. However, when he hoisted the trophy after winning the 121st U.S. Open at Dollywood, the watch on his wrist was a stainless steel Rolex Sky-Dweller ref. 326934 with a white gold fluted bezel and a steel Oyster bracelet.
Jon Rahm’s Sky-Dweller is the blue dial version, the most popular dial option in the Sky-Dweller line, available only on the White Rolesor model.The Sky-Dweller is one of Rolex’s most complicated watches, featuring not only a dial indicating the date, month and two time zones, but also an annual calendar, which means the watch only needs to be manually adjusted once a year.
Brooks Koepka – Rolex Daytona
ABOUT BROOKS KOEPKA’S ROLEX DAYTONA:
– Reference Number: 116500LN
– Case Size: 40mm
– Materials: Stainless Steel
– Functions: Time w/ Running Seconds, 12-Hour Chronograph
– Dial: White w/ Luminous Hour Markers
– Bezel: Fixed, Black Cerachrom w/ Tachymeter Scale
– Crystal: Sapphire (Flat)
– Movement: Rolex Caliber 4130
– Strap/Bracelet: Oyster Bracelet
Brooks Koepka won two PGA Championship and two U.S. Open titles in a two-year span from 2017 to 2019, earning him four major championships. He successfully defended his U.S. Open title in 2018 and later won his third career major title that year, paving the way for him to win the U.S. Tour Player of the Year award. 2019 will see Brooks Koepka win his fourth major at the PGA Championship, thus becoming the first man to successfully defend two majors.
As a key golf ambassador for Rolex’s “New Defender”, Brooks Koepka wore several coveted Rolex watches while holding his well-deserved trophy. We found Brooks Koepka wearing the 50th Anniversary Sea-Dweller 126600 and the Eternal Rose Gold Sky-Dweller 326935 on an Eternal Rose Gold Oyster strap.
However, the Rolex watch he seems to like and wear the most is the ultra-popular Daytona 116500LN Chronograph with its black Cerachrom ceramic bezel and white “Panda” dial.Released in 2016, the Daytona 116500LN remains one of Rolex’s most popular watches and is almost impossible to buy at retail.
Lexi Thompson – Rolex Datejust 36
ABOUT LEXI THOMPSON’S ROLEX DATEJUST 36:
– Reference Number: 116200
– Case Size: 36mm
– Materials: Stainless Steel
– Functions: Time w/ Running Seconds, Date Display
– Dial: Silver w/ Roman Numeral Markers
– Bezel: Fixed, Stainless Steel, Smooth Style
– Crystal: Sapphire (Flat w/ Cyclops Lens)
– Movement: Rolex Caliber 3135
– Strap/Bracelet: Oyster Bracelet
In addition to its strong support of men’s professional golf, there are several women’s players on the golf roster of Rolex, the official timekeeper of the five majors in women’s professional golf.
American Lexi Thompson turned professional at the age of 15 and at 16 became the youngest ever winner of the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic LPGA Championship, setting a record at the time. 2014 saw Lexi Thompson win her first professional major at the Kraft Nabisco Championship (now known as the Chevron Championship) winning her first professional Grand Slam title.
Speaking of watches, Rolex Ambassador Lexi Thompson is a fan of the Datejust, and she is often spotted wearing two distinctly different classic watches. The first is the understated stainless steel Datejust ref. 116200 with a sleek bezel, silvered Roman numeral dial and Oyster strap. Her other logbook model is a more luxurious version, also 36mm, but with a two-tone eternal rose gold steel case, a diamond-set bezel and a two-tone Jubilee bracelet.
Rolex watches for other professional golfers
In addition to the five incredible players we featured above, there are of course many other Rolex golfers on the list. Here are some of the Rolex watches we have seen:
MEN’S ROLEX GOLF AMBASSADORS:
– Rickie Fowler wears a white gold Yacht-Master ref. 226659 with a 42mm case, black ceramic bezel, and black Oysterflex bracelet.
– Jordan Speith wears a stainless steel Explorer II ref. 216570 with a 42mm case, Oyster bracelet, and white “Polar” dial.
– Phil Mickelson wears an Everose gold Yacht-Master ref. 116655 with a 40mm case, black ceramic bezel, and black Oysterflex bracelet.
– Adam Scott wears a two-tone Everose gold and steel GMT-Master II ref. 126711CHNR with a 40mm case, Oyster bracelet, and black and brown “Root Beer” Cerachrom bezel.
– Hideki Matsuyama wears a yellow gold and stainless steel Submariner 116613LB “Bluesy” with blue Cerachrom bezel, sunburst blue dial, and two-tone Oyster bracelet.
WOMEN’S ROLEX GOLF AMBASSADORS:
– Lydia Ko wears an Everose gold Yacht-Master ref. 268655 with a 37mm case, black Cerachrom bezel, and black Oysterflex bracelet.
– Brooke Henderson wears a stainless steel Datejust 36 with a silver dial, smooth bezel, and Oyster bracelet.
– Anna Nordqvist wears an Explorer 214270 with a 39mm steel case, steel Oyster bracelet, and black dial with oversized 3, 6, 9 Arabic numerals.
– Maria Fassi wears a steel Datejust 36 with a diamond-set bezel and diamond indexes on the silver dial.
– Annika Sörenstam wears a white gold Daytona “Beach” ref. 116519 with a pink mother-of-pearl dial and pink leather strap.
Like the brands they represent, Rolex Golf Ambassadors strive for excellence and seek to continually improve their game. From the late Arnold Palmer, the first Rolex Golf Ambassador, to golf legends still playing today, to young professionals committed to building their own legends of the sport, Rolex Golf Ambassadors are some of the greatest figures in the history of the sport.
