It’s a bold, new world

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Whatever happened to khaki pants on the PGA Tour?

Even Davis Love III, a former king of khaki, doesn’t know.

“My wife just asked me, ‘Where are your khaki pants?’ ” Love said. “I told her they keep giving me blue pants and white pants.

“Khaki pants and white shirts like Curtis Strange used to wear are what I grew up wanting to wear.”

Look for them on the endangered species list right there beside Ping Eye 2 wedges and new golf courses.

Maybe white is the new khaki on professional golfers.

Camilo Villegas, thin as a butter knife, wore all white Thursday at the Verizon Heritage. Rickie Fowler was wearing almost all white, too, accenting it with a brilliant blue belt and matching shoes with a swipe of yellow across the outside.

But it’s all about color now. Golf fashion – cutting edge and as bright as Fowler’s future – has gone bold. It helps if you have a 28-inch waist, but that hasn’t stopped guys from stepping out.

Phil Mickelson has been spotted wearing orange pants. Of course, to borrow Ian Poulter’s line, anything goes well with a green jacket.

Then there’s John Daly, who wore purple paisley pants on Thursday and papaya green on Friday, looking like Austin Powers in golf spikes.

Now golfers wear pants in colors that sound like paint swatches. Peach melba. Strawberry margarita. Island blue.

There was a time when khaki ruled.

Remember when Brian Gay won the Verizon Heritage last year? You may have forgotten he won by 10 shots but you didn’t forget the lime green pants he wore with the red tartan blazer.

Gay is as soft-spoken as they come, but when he dresses for the golf course, he screams.

“I used to be more preppy, more into black and white and khaki,” Gay said, “but I decided I didn’t want to look like everyone else. I decided to change it up.”