The Guardian
Tiger Woods praises Rory McIlroy and fellow golfers who played in red and black
15-time major champion was severely injured in car crashWoods traditionally wore outfit on final day of tournaments Rory McIlroy is a friend and playing rival of Tiger Woods. Photograph: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images Tiger Woods said he felt touched by a number of tributes paid to him by a host of the world’s best golfers on Sunday, after he was badly injured in a car crash earlier this week. Woods is famous for wearing a red shirt and black trousers on the final day of tournaments. At the WGC-Workday Championship in Florida on Sunday, golfers including Jason Day, Tony Finau, Tommy Fleetwood, Sebastian Munoz, Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed wore red in tribute to Woods. “It is hard to explain how touching today was when I turned on the TV and saw all the red shirts,” Woods tweeted. “To every golfer and every fan, you are truly helping me get through this tough time.” For Tiger. pic.twitter.com/UmAGYMRMpP— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 28, 2021 Max Homa, who won last week’s Genesis Invitational and was awarded the trophy by Woods, received abuse on social media on Saturday for saying he would not be wearing red and black. He later explained he was prevented from doing so because of sponsorship duties. “I mean this with zero hyperbole, this is the weirdest thing I’ve ever experienced on Twitter lol,” Homa wrote. “I love Tiger more than u guys. Promise. Listen to an interview from last week. Red and black tomorrow doesn’t prove that. A lifelong attempt to mimic his approach to the game does.” Meanwhile, at the Puerto Rico Championship the grounds crew also wore red and black. Woods has worn red and black on Sundays since his early days as a golfer. He said he had been inspired to do so by his mother, Tida. “I wear red on Sundays because my mom thinks that that’s my power colour,” Woods has said of the outfit. “And you know you should always listen to your mom.” Woods has had surgery for multiple fractures of his right leg after Tuesday’s car accident in Los Angeles that a local police officer said he was “very fortunate” to have survived. His injuries are severe enough that there is doubt whether the 15-time major champion will ever return to professional golf. Police say there is no evidence that alcohol or drugs were factors in the crash