A signature shoe collaboration with an ascending PGA Tour star just earned PAYNTR its highest placement ever in an independent shoe test. The Chef RX Tour Knit, designed with Min Woo Lee, scored 9.8 out of 10 in MyGolfSpy's 2026 testing and finished as the runner-up in the spiked category behind only the Skechers Blade Tour.
For a brand that entered the golf market in 2020 after building its reputation in cricket footwear, this is validation that matters. PAYNTR has spent years positioning itself as a performance-first alternative in a category dominated by legacy names and fashion-forward newcomers. The Chef RX Tour Knit represents the brand's most ambitious product yet: full-grain leather upper, knit bootie construction, and traction that MyGolfSpy's testers called as good as it gets.
The result also reflects the smart bet PAYNTR made on Min Woo Lee before he became one of the more watchable players on tour. Signature deals in golf footwear rarely move the needle for smaller brands, but Lee's game has a flair that translates to product. The shoe looks like something a player with confidence would wear, which is precisely the audience PAYNTR needs to reach.
Testers did note a tradeoff. The roomier forefoot and lack of lateral reinforcements make the Chef RX slightly less stable than competitors like the adidas Adipower 26 or the Nike Victory Pro 4. For golfers who prioritize stability over comfort, that is a real consideration. But for those who want a premium ride and elite traction, the trade appears worth it.
PAYNTR currently sits at 24th in global brand intelligence rankings, up 22 percent from last month. That trajectory makes sense. Winning a major independent shoe test brings the kind of credibility that marketing budgets cannot buy. The question now is whether the brand can convert a second-place finish into sustained retail momentum or whether this becomes another moment where a challenger brand punches above its weight and then fades back into the field.
