The key to winning The Players Championship? It's gotta be the shoes. Just ask Tiger, who took the title the same week he debuted his newest signature kicks, the TW'14s.

Nike officially announced the line on Monday. Coincidence? Few things in Beaverton are. Regardless, fans of sneaker-like, natural motion golf shoes such as last year's Nike "Free"-inspired TW'13, should enjoy a few new features on this year's model. For the uninitiated, the TW'14 is based off of Nike's flagship running shoe. The idea here is that a lighter, more flexible golf shoe is more comfortable to wear and allows the player to transfer energy more efficiently through the swing. The result, says Nike, is more power.

Tiger agrees. He should. After all, the shoe was originally his idea: "I train with Nike Free technology all the time," he told Nike. "I love training in it, running in it, lifting in it. So I asked, why can’t I play golf in it?” Sure, Tiger. Why not.

Weekend warriors may not train, run or lift, but starting June 7th they can play golf in the TW'14s. Improvements over the '13s include improved ventilation in the upper shoe, and increased stability through "Flywire" technology, which Nike claims helps to hold the shoe to your foot. The new shoe will also be more customizable: A TW'14 iD version allows players to select color combos, choose between "waterproof" leather or "breathable" mesh uppers, select either soft-spike or spikeless soles, and add a name or inspirational monogram to the shoe. Fair guess none will say "Rory."

Both the TW'14 and the TW'14 iD are scheduled to drop June 7th. Expect to pay $225 for the customized version and $180 for the off-the-rack model, which comes in first-run colors of "Black/Reflective Silver-Varsity Red" and "White/Metallic Dark Grey-Varsity Red." On August 1st, they'll add a "Cool Grey/Black-Vivid Blue-Venom Green" shoe to the line. If those sound more like X-Men villains than actual colors — well, we'll defer to the photos.

(Photo: Courtesy of Nike)

DRIVER: Nike VR Tour (9.5°) with Mitsubishi Diamana White Board 73 X-flex shaft

FAIRWAY WOODS: Nike VR_S Covert 3-wood (15°) with Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board 103 X-flex shaft (pictured above); Nike VR_S Covert 5-wood (19°) with Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board 103 X-flex shaft

IRONS: Nike VR Pro Blade (3-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts

WEDGES: Nike VR Pro (56° and 60°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts

PUTTER: Nike Method 001

BALL: Nike ONE Tour D

(Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Courtesy of Nike

In the wake of Tiger Woods' ascension to the top of the world ranking after clinching his third victory of the year, the anticipation for the Masters couldn't be greater. To celebrate the first major of the 2013 season, Nike has released of a limited edition TW shoe that showcases the iconic Masters green on the sole.

Retailing for $180, the shoe’s Nike FREE inspired outsole is the result of a collaboration between Tiger Woods and Nike’s golf footwear team, which sought to produce a golf shoe that matched the fit and performance of Woods’ Nike FREE athletic shoes.

The TW ’13 Limited Edition is composed of multi-stretch synthetic leather and is designed to conform to the foot's natural motion to deliver maximum flexibility. The shoe will be available at nike.com and retailers across the country beginning March 28^th while supplies last.

RELATED

MORE NIKE: Nike Equipment News, Reviews

SPECIAL SECTION: 2013 Masters Preview

MORE TIGER: Tiger Tracker Homepage

DRIVER: Nike VR Tour (8.5°) with Graphite Design Tour AD DI 6 X-flex shaft

FAIRWAY WOODS: Nike VR Pro Limited Edition 3-wood (15°) with Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board 103 X-flex shaft;  Nike VR_S Covert 5-wood (19°) with Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board 103 X-flex shaft

IRONS: Nike VR Pro Blade (3-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts

WEDGES: Nike VR Pro (56° and 60°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts

PUTTER: Nike Method 001

BALL: Nike ONE Tour D

(Photos: Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP)

DRIVER: Nike VR Tour (8.5°) with Graphite Design Tour AD DI 6 X-flex shaft

FAIRWAY WOODS: Nike VR Pro Limited Edition 3-wood (15°) with Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board 103 X-flex shaft;  Nike VR_S Covert 5-wood (19°) with Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board 103 X-flex shaft

IRONS: Nike VR Pro Blade (3-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts

WEDGES: Nike VR Pro (56° and 60°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts

PUTTER: Nike Method 001

BALL: Nike ONE Tour D

(Tiger Woods with his new VR_S Covert 5-wood at Doral. Credit: Fred Vuich/SI)

According to pgatour.com, Tiger just dumped his trusty old Nike 19-degree SasQuatch 2 fairway wood, which he's had in the bag for close to six years, for a brand-new Nike VR_S Covert model with the same loft. After an opening round 66 that included nine birdies, it would seem that El Tigre made the right decision, and he agrees.

“The 5-wood that I used is the SQ, so it's, what, three versions ago,” Woods said. “I finally put one in play that I felt comfortable with. I hit it a little bit further, so there's a little bit bigger gap between the 3-iron and the 5-wood but I can hit this 5-wood a little bit higher, so I can actually take something off it and throw it up in the air, which is nice.

The new VR_S Covert that Tiger put in his bag this week at The WGC-Cadillac Championship is fitted with the same Mitsubishi Diamana BB 103x shaft as his old SasQuatch.

RELATED:

CLUB REVIEW: Nike's VR_S Covert fairway woods

MORE NIKE: Nike equipment news on Golf.com

DRIVER: Nike VR Tour (8.5°) with a Graphite Design Tour AD DI 6 shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS: Nike  VR Pro Limited Editon (15°), SQ II (19°) with Mitsubishi Diaman Blue Board 103X   shafts
IRONS: Nike VR Pro Blades (3-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts
WEDGES: Nike VR (56°), VR Pro (60°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts
PUTTER: Nike Method 001
BALL: Nike Tour D

See-Try-Buy: Learn more about Nike clubs and schedule your fitting  with GolfTEC  or Golfsmith.

DRIVER: Nike VR Tour (8.5°) with a Graphite Design Tour AD DI 6 shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS: Nike VR Pro Limited Editon (15°) with Mitsubishi Diaman Blue Board 103X shafts
IRONS: Nike VR_S Forged (2), VR Pro Blades (3-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts
WEDGES: Nike VR (56°), VR Pro (60°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts
PUTTER: Nike Method 001
BALL: Nike Tour D

Photos: See more pros' bags from Kiawah

See-Try-Buy: Learn more about Nike clubs and schedule your fitting  with GolfTEC  or Golfsmith.

Related: Follow  David Dusek on Twitter | Facebook | Google+

It's the final major of the year, and that means it's also the last high-profile opportunity for golf companies to showcase their players wearing the latest apparel collections. This week, Rickie Fowler won't be the only player in bright colors and prints. Check out the scripts below for some of the season's best looks from brands like Nike, Callaway and Puma.

Nike:

Representing Puma, Rickie Fowler:

Wearing Callaway, Alvaro Quiros (Friday - Sunday):

So, all that practice paid off and you've earned a spot in the field at the British Open. Sweet! Now what are you going to wear? Well, if you're a Nike-sponsored athlete you don't have to worry about how to match your shirt with your pants and shoes because the company happily puts everything together for you. Here what some Swoosh-wearing stars will be wearing (under their raingear) at Royal Lytham and St. Annes.

DRIVER: Nike VR Tour (8.5°) with a Graphite Design Tour AD DI 6 shaft
FAIRWAY  WOODS: Nike  VR Pro Limited Editon (15°), SQ II (19°) with Mitsubishi Diaman Blue Board 103X   shafts
IRONS: Nike VR  Pro Blades (3-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold  X100 shafts
WEDGES: Nike  VR (56°), VR  Pro (60°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold  S400 shafts
PUTTER: Nike Method 001
BALL: Nike  Tour D

Photos: See unique details from the pros' bags

See-Try-Buy: Learn more about Nike clubs and schedule your fitting  with GolfTEC  or Golfsmith.

Related: Follow  David Dusek on Twitter | Facebook | Google+

SAN FRANCISCO – Every week on the PGA Tour, manufacturers stuff the pros' lockers with things they'll need on the course. Balls, gloves, maybe a new umbrella or a hat. But at the majors, things get kicked up a few notches.

Nike presented its staff players at the U.S. Open with a special tote bag that contained a hoodie and a new pair of Nike Free running shoes.

Each golfer's hoodie was personalized with his name on the back of the left shoulder. Three stars were added to Tiger Woods's hoodie to acknowledge his three U.S. Open wins; Lucas Glover had one star. 

Woods and Glover also had their names stitched into the tongue of their shoes.

Photos: See pros' bags at Olympic

See-Try-Buy: Learn more about Nike clubs and schedule your fitting with GolfTEC or Golfsmith.

(Photo by David Dusek)

Tiger Woods Nike gear (David Dusek)

DRIVER: Nike VR Tour (8.5°) with a Graphite Design Tour AD DI 6 shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS: Nike VR Pro Limited Editon (15°) with Mitsubishi Diaman Blue Board 103X  shafts
IRONS: Nike VR_S Forged (2), VR Pro Blades (3-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts
WEDGES: Nike VR (56°), VR Pro (60°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts
PUTTER: Nike Method 001
BALL: Nike Tour D

Photos: See pros' bags at Olympic

See-Try-Buy: Learn more about Nike clubs and schedule your fitting with GolfTEC or Golfsmith.

DRIVER: Nike VR Tour (8.5°) with a Graphite Design Tour AD DI 6 shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS: Nike VR Pro Limited Editon (15°), SQ II (19°) with Mitsubishi Diaman Blue Board 103X  shafts
IRONS: VR Pro Blades (3-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts
WEDGES: Nike VR (56°), VR Pro (60°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts
PUTTER: Nike Method 001
BALL: Nike Tour D

Photos: See unique details from the pros' bags

See-Try-Buy: Learn more about Nike clubs and schedule your fitting with GolfTEC or Golfsmith.

(Photo by David Dusek)

DRIVER: Nike VR Tour (8.5°) with a Graphite Design Tour AD DI 6 shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS: Nike VR Pro Limited Editon (15°), SQ (19°) with Mitsubishi Diaman Blue Board 103 shafts
IRONS: Nike Forged VR-S Forged (3), VR Pro Blades (4-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100shafts
WEDGES: Nike VR (56°), VR Pro (60°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts
PUTTER: Nike Method 001
BALL: Nike Tour D

See-Try-Buy: Learn more about Nike clubs and schedule your fitting with GolfTEC or Golfsmith.

(Photo by David Dusek)