Tiger Woods acknowledges his satisfaction as several PGA Tour players wear red in his honor

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BRADENTON, Florida – Tiger Woods, in a Sunday night tweet, said it was “touching” to see so many players wearing their red Sunday mark for the final round of the WGC-Workday Championship, just days after there was a serious traffic accident in the hospital and he needed emergency surgery.

“It’s hard to explain how touching it has been today when I turned on the TV and saw all the red shirts,” Woods wrote in the tweet. “To all golfers and all the fans, you really help me get through this difficult time.”

Woods, 45, suffered multiple injuries in a single-car accident. He underwent lengthy surgery and remains hospitalized in Southern California.

Collin Morikawa planned to join other players to honor Woods with a red shirt and black pants. But his clothing company’s team didn’t arrive on time, so Morikawa paid tribute in a better way: he turned a 54-hole lead into a victory at the Concession Golf Club, shooting a final round of 69 for win his fourth PGA Tour title by 3 strokes over Brooks Koepka, Billy Horschel and Viktor Hovland.

At the age of 24, Morikawa joined Woods as the only player to have a major championship and a world golf title before the age of 25.

“Tiger means everything to me,” Morikawa said. “I hope he’s okay and he recovers quickly. Sometimes we don’t say enough thanks, and I wanted to thank Tiger. Sometimes you lose people too early. I lost my grandfather about a month ago and you don’t have to say thank you enough ”.

Tony Finau made the big entrance with a fake red-necked golf shirt, black pants and the Nike hat back, the way Woods often comes to tournaments.

“I was pretty inspired,” Finau said. “I’ve heard a lot of guys do it before. I sure felt it would be a nice touch. We’ve enjoyed so many Sundays watching Tiger do his stuff. Red and black, that’s what Tiger does on Sundays, so you just have to join us and let Tiger know that we support him in the best way possible. We keep playing because we miss him here, but today it was great to be a part of it. “

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 was playing at the PGA Tour Champions event in Arizona, said he bought a local t-shirt to wear to honor Woods.

Woods ’mother, Tida, had suggested the outfit when she was a young professional and ended up following it no matter the circumstances.

Among those who came to the Concession Golf Club in red were Jason Day, Tommy Fleetwood, Cameron Champ, Sebastian Munoz, Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed. Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas wore a red hue that looked 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 tour. shows you support. It’s not something that happens every week, it’s not something that people do every day, but obviously Sunday is a pretty special day for him and what he brings and it seems like a great opportunity for people to have a chance to do. -ho. . “

McIlroy, another close friend, said: “I guess for us it’s just a gesture to let him know that we’re thinking about him and that we’re rooting for him. Obviously, things are a little better today than Tuesday, but he still has a way to go.

“He has a great recovery ahead. But I think just for everyone to show their appreciation for what it means to us here. If it weren’t for Tiger Woods, I just think the tour and the game of golf in general would be in one place. worse. It has meant a lot to us, it still means it to us and I think it was just a way to prove it. “

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. “That’s why I played golf today. It’s just a small tribute I wanted to pay him today, how much it has affected my life or his work. Just a small tribute.”

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