The world heard from Tiger Woods on Sunday for the first time following last week’s single-car crash that has put the legendary golfer’s athletic future in jeopardy.
Woods, recovering from serious and multiple leg injuries that he suffered in California on Feb. 23, saw several of his fellow golfers wearing his signature red and black gear during the WGC-Workday Championship in Bradenton, Florida.
Woods has always worn red and black gear on the final day of tournaments. On Sunday, Rory Mcllroy, Justin Thomas and Jason Day, among others, were seen wearing red and black in honor of Woods.
In a statement on Twitter, Woods said he was moved by the tributes from golfers competing in the tournament.
Woods was transferred from Harbor-UCLA Medical Center on Thursday to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for “continuing orthopedic care and recovery,” hospital officials said.
A Friday night post on Woods’ Twitter account said he “received follow-up procedures on his injuries this morning. The procedures were successful, and he is now recovering and in good spirits.”
Woods had shattered the tibia and fibula of his lower right leg in multiple locations. Those injuries were stabilized with a rod in the tibia during a long surgery. Additional injuries to the bones in the foot and ankle required screws and pins.
Woods had been driving a 2021 Genesis SUV on a downhill stretch of road known for wrecks when he struck a raised median in a coastal Los Angeles suburb, crossed into oncoming lanes and flipped several times.
The crash was the latest setback for Woods, who has won 15 major championships and a record-tying 82 victories on the PGA Tour. He is among the world’s most recognizable sports figures, and at 45, even with a reduced schedule from nine previous surgeries, remains golf’s biggest draw.
He was in Los Angeles last weekend as the tournament host of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club. Monday and Tuesday had been set aside for him to give golf tips to celebrities on Discovery-owned GOLFTV.
The Los Angeles County sheriff has called the crash “purely an accident” and says drugs and alcohol did not appear to be a factor.
PGA champion — and eventual tournament winner — Collin Morikawa also planned to wear a red shirt with his black pants Sunday to show support for Woods, but the clothes didn’t arrive on time.
Morikawa became the 24th player to win a major and a World Golf Championship title, and the 24-year-old Californian joined Woods as the only players to win both before turning 25.
Woods was 23 when he won the first of his 18 World Golf Championships.
“Red and black, we know that’s what Tiger does on Sundays, so just to join in and just let Tiger know we’re supporting him in the best way we can,” Tony Finau said. “We’re still playing and we miss him out here, but it was cool just to be a part of that.”
“I think just for everyone to show their appreciation for what he means to us out here,” McIlroy said about the tribute. “If there was no Tiger Woods, I just the think the tour and the game of golf in general would be in a worse place. He’s meant a lot to us, he still does mean a lot to us and I think that was just a little way to show that.”
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