Greyson Clothiers chief exec on Tyrrell Hatton: "He's going to throw a club and not give a s---! I love it"

Greyson Clothiers' chief executive Charlie Schaefer says he 'loves' that England's Tyrrell Hatton is 'unapologetically himself'. 

The worst-kept secret in the golf apparel world was confirmed last month when the premium brand became the official sponsor of Cameron Smith's Ripper and Jon Rahm's Legion XIII in the LIV Golf League. 

GolfMagic sat down with Schaefer to learn more about his journey, how the partnership with the two teams came about and his plans for the future. 

Unsurprisingly, Schaefer was drawn to Smith's 'really chill energy' while Rahm's fierce competitive nature resonated with him. 

And is he is a huge fan of Hatton who - despite being a gifted player - has divided opinion among golf fans with his frequent outbursts of anger on the course. 

"I love when people are themselves," Schaefer told GolfMagic. "[Hatton] is himself. Like unapologetically himself. 

"That is so refreshing on so many levels, and I will always love that as a human being.

"He's going to throw a club and not give a s---, I love it. Get angry, get fiery, get mad at himself...he's never going to hurt anybody else. He's doing his job, he just approaches it a little differently because he cares."

How the Greyson x Ripper / Legion XIII came about

Schaefer said he had dinner with the 2022 Open champion last January. 

He realised 'pretty quickly' that Greyson would be a good fit for the all-Australian Ripper, which also boasts Marc Leishman, Matt Jones and Lucas Herbert on their roster. 

"He's so in depth and smart," Schaefer said of Smith. "And really articulate, thoughtful and a lot of fun. 

"I think that if we can embody that as a brand, that would be aspirational from that regard too. He's somebody that I've respected peripherally for quite some time now. I'm really excited to be with them."

It transpires things were a little bit different with Rahm. 

Rahm reportedly expressed interest in Greyson through former NFL star Larry Fitzgerald. The rest is history. 

Schaefer said of Rahm: "Watching him on the golf course, do I love the fire? Of course. Do I love how fierce he is? For sure. 

"I think there's a fierceness to Greyson that people don't get to see in what we've gone through in terms of a journey, and we planted our hometown in Detroit because yeah that's where I'm from, but we believe in that city. We didn’t do the easy thing. So that to me resonates a lot also here."

"We're supporters of sport, athletes and competition"

When LIV Golf launched in 2022 there was some scepticism from brands and sponsors about whether to be associated with the breakaway tour backed by Saudi Arabia's PIF. 

Earlier this month, Rahm's Legion XIII became the first LIV team to sign a deal with an OEM (Callaway). 

Schaefer said he's supportive of 'all tours'. 

He said: "Are we huge supporters of LIV? Are we huge supporters of the PGA Tour? Are we huge supporters of TGL? We're supporters of sport, athletes, competition, so for us it became simple when we really started to think about who and how, and the answer was always clear out of the gates.

"Who do we support? The answer to that is like-minded individuals who are driven. There's a fierceness to them and obviously there's a loyalty and compassion. So the people we bring on, we make sure that's a big part of their DNA as well."

Plans for the future

Schaefer said there is much to look forward to for the immediate and long-term future for his team of nearly 200 employees at Greyson.

"We've mapped out the next three years," he said. "We work off this thing called the 313 and that's our area code in Detroit but it's also the next three months and the next year, and the next three years. 

"We might have another women's ambassador announced soon here which will be great. Part of our business that we'll be showing in a huge way. 

"Not in a golf way but in a proper women's wear, what is that modern performance luxury woman looking for kind of thing. That's an ongoing thing."

Schaefer was talking to GolfMagic in a collaboration with Beyond the Clubhouse. 

You can listen to the full interview with Schaefer when it is released next week.

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