BRADENTON, Fla. — Rory McIlroy and other members competing in the final round of the PGA Tour’s WGC-Workday Championship will be decked out in red and black Sunday to honor Tiger Woods.
Woods, 45, was injured in a single-vehicle rollover crash Tuesday when he lost control of his 2021 Genesis GV80 SUV, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.
Woods, who has won 15 major tournaments and is tied with Sam Snead with 82 PGA Tour victories, is known for wearing a red polo shirt and black slacks during the final rounds of tournaments. Invariably during his career, the attire was a signal that Woods had the scent of victory and was ready to claim another trophy.
McIlroy and Patrick Reed are definitely on board to wear red and black at the tournament in Bradenton, Florida, the Golf Channel reported.
Tournament leader Collin Morikawa will follow suit, and Justin Thomas, the world’s No. 3 player, tweeted that he would wear a striped red shirt.
World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam, who is playing her first LPGA Tour tournament since 2008, will wear red and black in the final round of the Gainbridge LPGA in Orlando, Golfweek reported.
Woods wore red for closing rounds throughout high school and while he played at Stanford University. Woods spoke about the origin of his go-to color to reporters after the AT&T National in 2013.
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“I’ve worn red ever since my college days basically, or junior golf days -- big events on the last day,” Woods said. “I just stuck with it out of superstition, and it worked. I just happened to choose a school that actually was red, and we wore red on our final day of events. So it worked out.”
Woods is recovering after undergoing “a long surgical procedure on his lower right leg and ankle after being brought to the hospital,” according to the golfer’s official Twitter account.
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Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said officials are investigating the crash on a steep road as “purely an accident.”
”We don’t contemplate any charges whatsoever in this crash,” Villanueva said Wednesday. “This remains an accident. An accident is not a crime. They do happen, unfortunately.”