Tiger Woods arrives at Augusta National wearing FootJoy golf shoes instead of Nike.

• There are rumors about why Tiger Woods did not have the Nike swoosh on his feet while playing at Augusta National on Sunday.
• Acushnet, the publicly traded owner of FootJoy, was spotted wearing a pair of black Premier Series-Packard golf shoes.
• Woods has been affiliated with Nike since he went pro in 1996.

On Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, Tiger Woods did not wear the famous swoosh on his feet. Instead, he was seen wearing a pair of black FootJoy Premiere Series-Packard golf shoes.

The start of the Masters tournament at the home course on Thursday sparked speculation in the golf community, prompting a vague statement from Nike.

Nike expressed its delight at Tiger's return to golf, stating that he is an exceptional athlete and his story continues to inspire. The company will collaborate with him to address his new requirements as he continues his comeback.

Acushnet owns FootJoy, but a representative for the company did not respond to CNBC's request for comment.

While Nike shares climbed less than 1%, Acushnet shares closed more than 2.5% higher, causing a slight movement in the footwear flap among investors.

Some have speculated that Woods' horrific car accident in February, which caused severe leg injuries, may have prompted him to explore more comfortable footwear options.

Throughout his career, Nike has been affiliated with Woods, who turned pro in 1996. He even has his own pair of golf shoes with the sneaker giant, Nike Air Zoom Tiger Woods. On Sunday, he was still wearing the swoosh logo embellished on his coral-colored polo shirt.

Woods hasn't commented on his shoe choices over the weekend, but he did say on social media that he will make a "game-time decision" about whether or not he competes in the Masters. If he plays, it would be his first competition since November 2020.

In 2019, he won his fifth Masters title at Augusta National, which was his last major championship victory.

This tale was revised to accurately depict the correct spelling of Augusta National Golf Club and FootJoy Premiere Series-Packard golf shoes.