It was a quiet April morning in Augusta, Georgia, when Stephen and Erica Malbon woke up. Then they checked their phones.
The couple’s lifestyle brand, Malbon Golf, had been swept into a social media storm by an eye-catching Masters outfit donned by ambassador and former world No. 1 Jason Day.
Battle lines were drawn: those who deemed the Australian’s sleeveless vest and baggy pants an affront to the storied tournament — dubbed “a tradition unlike any other” — versus those who welcomed the look as a sorely needed injection of flair into the sport’s wardrobe.
And at the center of the “sweatergate” debate were the Malbons — exactly where they always planned to be.
Partners
It started with not one, but two “I do’s.”
It was 2008 when Erica, co-founder of boutique spa and massage parlor The Now, was told by a friend that there was someone moving to Los Angeles that she should meet.
That mystery man was Stephen, whose work as creator of media brand and magazine Frank151 was seeing him make the cross-country switch from New York to the “City of Angels.”
Within two years, the pair were married. Unbeknownst to Erica, though, her husband was harboring a secret love.
Having fallen for golf at the age of 12, while working his first job on a Virginian course, he had since lost touch with the sport, but the move to Los Angeles revived Stephen’s passion for the game to irrepressible levels.
Desperate to share his fixation with others, in 2012 Stephen launched an Instagram account to act as his own personal “mood board” for the sport. The feed was filled with a wide range of golf-related images, as well as recurring sketches of a cartoon golf ball character.
The reception from his friends — many of whom moved in music, art, fashion and other creative circles — was less than enthusiastic.
