BRADENTON, Florida (KXAN) — No matter the tournament, everyone knows Tiger Woods will be wearing red during the final round. Woods’ Sunday red outfit is a tradition that dates back to his first days on the tour nearly 25 years ago.
On Tuesday, Woods was involved in a serious car accident in Los Angeles that caused “significant” injuries to his leg and ankle.
Woods underwent extensive surgery following the crash. His road to recovery is expected to be steep and long.
The sports world reacted to the news with prayers and best wishes toward Woods’ recovery. On Sunday, golfers across all tours paid tribute to Woods by wearing his signature red.
Some golfers who joined the tribute have been competing against Woods since the beginning of his career — like Phil Mickelson.
Others, like Justin Thomas, Cam Champion, Tony Finau and Tommy Fleetwood, grew up watching Woods dominate the sport.
A longtime friend of Woods and dominant golfer Annika Sorenstam wore red in her return to the tour at the Gainbridge LPGA tournament in Boca Raton, Florida.
Even the maintenance crew for the Puerto Rico Open joined in with red and black on Sunday.
Collin Morikawa, 24, put together an excellent weekend to win the World Golf Championships-Workday Championships Sunday. Morikawa wasn’t even born when Woods turn pro. After winning the WGC event, he thanked Woods.
“Tiger means everything to me. I don’t think we say thank you enough so I want to say thank you to Tiger,” Morikawa said during the NBC broadcast of the tournament.
Woods released a statement through social media Sunday night, expressing his appreciation for the “Sunday Red” tribute.
The tweet reads — “It is hard to explain how touching today was when I turned on the tv and saw all the red shirts. To every golfer and every fan, you are truly helping me get through this tough time.”