SUN DAY BEST Woods still No.1 name in golf as he launches new clothing brand
IT is 10 months since he started an official event on the PGA Tour and a year since he played four full rounds in one.
It is not too far shy of half a decade since he last won a tournament and he will be eligible for seniors golf at the end of next year.
But when the viewing figures for the first round of the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles this week are collected, you can be sure they will show one thing.
Tiger Woods remains the biggest draw in golf.
That is why LIV offered him £600million to join them, that is why the PGA Tour has given him £30m in bonuses over the past three years – even though he has only played in eight events during that time.
And that is why – on the eve of his return to PGA Tour action – Woods was at the glitzy launch of his new clothing line in LA, having joined up with TaylorMade following his Nike split. The ‘Sun Day Red’ brand ties into his traditional choice of colour for the final round in tournaments and the logo, a tiger emblem, is made up of 15 stripes – Majors won.
If his fitness gets him through this week in an event he hosts, Woods is likely to play in next month’s Players Championship before heading to Augusta for the Masters in April.
After a succession of lowprofile winners in 2024, the PGA Tour will be thankful for Woods’ stardust, especially as defending champion Jon Rahm has defected to LIV.
But there will be other big guns at Riviera, with Ryder Cup heroes Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland vying for favouritism with world No.1 Scottie Scheffler. All eyes, though, will be on Tiger… and his new gear.
“Sunday red – it’s me,” said Woods. “It started with my mom.
“She thought being a Capricorn that my power colour was red, so I wore red as a junior golfer and won some tournaments.
“Lo and behold, I go to a university that is red, Stanford is red. We wore red on the final day of every tournament.
“And every tournament I’ve played as a professional, I’ve worn red. It’s just become synonymous with me.”
It started with my mom. She thought being a Capricorn that my power colour was red
TIGER WOODS ON WHERE IT ALL CAME FROM