BRADENTON, Florida – Tiger Woods, in a tweet on Sunday night, said it was “exciting” to see so many players wearing his red Sunday mark for the final round of the WGC-Workday Championship, just days after he was hospitalized in a car accident and in need of emergency surgery.
“It’s hard to explain how exciting it was today when I turned on the TV and saw all the red shirts,” Woods wrote in the tweet. “For every golfer and every fan, you really help me get through this difficult time.”
It’s hard to explain how exciting it was today when I turned on the TV and saw all the red shirts. Every golfer and every fan, you really help me get through this difficult time.
– Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) March 1, 2021
Woods, 45, suffered multiple injuries in a single-car accident. He underwent a long operation and remains hospitalized in Southern California.
Collin Morikawa planned to join other players in honor of Woods, wearing a red shirt and black pants. But the equipment from his clothing company did not arrive on time, so Morikawa paid tribute in a better way: he turned a 54-hole lead into a victory at Concession Golf Club, shooting a final round 69 to win the fourth round PGA title with 3 strokes over Brooks Koepka, Billy Horschel and Viktor Hovland.
At 24, Morikawa joined – you guessed it – Woods as the only player to have a major championship and a World Golf Championship title before the age of 25.
“Tiger means everything to me,” Morikawa said. “I hope she’s fine and will recover quickly. Sometimes we don’t say enough thanks and I wanted to thank Tiger. Sometimes you lose people too soon. I lost my grandfather. about a month ago and you don’t have to say thank you enough. “
For Tiger. pic.twitter.com/UmAGYMRMpP
– PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 28, 2021
E o@TigerWoodsSunday for maintenance staff at@PuertoRicoOpen. (…)@PGATOUR(…) pic.twitter.com/OheyF4o1N8
– PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) February 28, 2021
Tony Finau made the biggest entrance, wearing a red golf shirt with a simulated collar, black pants and a Nike back hat – the way Woods often goes to tournaments.
“I was quite inspired,” Finau said. “I heard earlier that some guys were going to do it. I definitely felt it would be just a nice touch. We enjoyed so many Sundays watching Tiger do his job. Red and black, that’s what Tiger does on Sunday, so you just have to join in and let Tiger know that we support him in the best way possible. We’re still playing because we miss him here, but it was great to be a part of that today. ”
At the Puerto Rico Championship, the opposing field event won this week by Branden Grace, the entire field crew wore red for Woods. Phil Mickelson, who plays at the PGA Tour Champions in Arizona, said he bought a local shirt to wear to pay tribute to Woods.
Woods’ mother, Tida, had suggested clothing when he was a young pro and came to follow whatever the circumstances.
Jason Day, Tommy Fleetwood, Cameron Champ, Sebastian Munoz, Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed were among those who went red at Concession Golf Club. Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas wore a shade of red that seemed pinker.
“Obviously we can’t do anything to help him, but I think it’s important for him to feel some kind of support,” said Thomas, who is one of Woods’ closest friends among the young players on the tournament. shows support. It’s not something that will happen every week, it’s not something that people do every day, but obviously Sunday is a pretty special day for him and what he wears and it just seemed like a great chance for people to have the opportunity to do so. . “
McIlroy, another close friend, said: “I think it’s just a gesture for us to let him know that we’re thinking about him and that we’re rooting. Obviously, things look a little better today than they were on Tuesday, but he still has a way forward.
“He has a huge recovery ahead of him. But I think everyone will show their appreciation for what it means to us here. If there were no Tiger Woods, I think the tour and the game of golf in general would be in a worse place. it meant a lot to us, it still means a lot to us and I think it was just a small way to show that. “
During the day, Bryson DeChambeau and Matt Kuchar also used a Bridgestone golf ball with the name Tiger stamped on the side.
“You know what, he’s an idol,” Munoz said. “He is the reason I played golf today. It’s just a small tribute I wanted to pay today, how much it affected my life or work. Just a small tribute. “