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Dilworth Park is getting a new temporary statue, and it’s probably one of the most niche sculptures to have graced Philly City Hall.
As part of the 2026 PGA Championship in Newtown Square’s Aronimink Golf Club, footwear brand Adidas unveiled a statue of golf rebel Forrest Fezler, located between the entrances to the 15th Street Station, wearing actual navy blue shorts.
This one’s a pretty deep cut, even for golf fans.
In June 1983 — long before John Daly and the “Happy Gilmore” franchise — Fezler was finishing his final round in the U.S. Open at Western Pa.’s Oakmont Country Club.
Stepping into a portable restroom in trousers, he stepped out in shorts, played the 18th hole and became the first PGA Tour pro to sign their scorecard at a golf major in half pants.
Fezler’s costume change was in protest of the PGA Tour’s dress code, even under uncomfortably warm conditions.
In honor of this act of dress defiance, the sports brand is making Fezler, who died in 2018, a posthumous brand ambassador, as part of the launch of its Ultimate365+ shorts.
“If [Forrest] were here today, he’d probably laugh and he’d say something like ‘cool,’” said Jordan Fezler, Forrest’s son. “But he’d also be incredibly honored and proud to see that he did something so instinctive and honest, that it helped open the door— just a little for the game to grow.”
The PGA Championship, coincidentally, was the first of professional men’s golf’s four “majors” to relax the dress code for players a smidge, allowing them to wear shorts on the practice days from Monday to Wednesday since 2017. So this seemed like a good time to roll out the campaign.
“Being in a city like Philadelphia, where there’s a nice, rebellious spirit, seemed like a good place for it as well,” said Chris Thompson, Adidas Golf’s director of marketing.
The PGA Tour adopted the same policy in 2019. As things stand, long pants are still mandatory for all its tournament rounds, so Fezler remains a first-and-only on that front.
In concert with the statue’s arrival, some of the Adidas-sponsored players will be wearing the brand’s shorts tied to the ad campaign during the practice days — weather permitting, Monday morning was pretty frigid — and also wearing a patch paying tribute to Fezler on their polos and outerwear during practice days.
Fezler’s professional golf career included the PGA Rookie of the year Award in 1973, a second place finish in the 1974 U.S. Open. and two professional wins. He went on to design golf courses, including Tobacco Road Golf Course in Sanford, NC, where the statue will eventually go after its week in Philly.
Fezler’s two children, Brooke and Jordan, flew in with their families from Barcelona, Spain and Vancouver, Wash., respectively, for Tuesday’s statue unveiling. They described Forrest’s personality as soft-spoken, but able to be outspoken through his actions and his passion for golf.
“That moment is such a perfect reflection of his courage, his fun and playful spirit and his deep love of the game,” said Brooke.
Jordan said he would like to see a golf world where his father’s fashion crusade was fully realized — to an extent.
“I don’t look as good as he did in shorts,” Jordan joked. “He had the legs of a god. I don’t. So people who can pull it off, yes.”
