‘Touching’ show of support for Tiger

TIGER Woods has expressed his gratitude for the “touching” gesture of players wearing his signature red and black for the final round of the WGCWorkday Championship.

The golfer, who has traditionally worn those colours on the last day of tournaments, is recovering in hospital in Los Angeles from multiple injuries sustained in a serious car accident.

Woods, who previously said he was in “good spirits”, said his fellow competitors and fans were aiding in his recovery.

He said on Twitter: “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.”

Earlier, Collin Morikawa fittingly emulated one of Woods’ achievements with victory in the championship in Florida.

Morikawa carded a closing 69 at The Concession Golf Club to finish 18-under-par, three shots clear of Brooks Koepka, Viktor Hovland and Billy Horschel.

Morikawa joins Woods as the only player to have won a Major championship and WGC event before turning 25, the 24-yearold claiming the US PGA Championship last year in just his second Major appearance.

“Tiger means everything to me,” he said.

“Yes he had the crash and thankfully he’s all right and hopefully he has a quick and great recovery, but I don’t think we say thank you enough so I want to say thank you to Tiger.

“Sometimes you lose people too early. I lost my grandpa about a month ago and you don’t get to say thank you enough.”

Morikawa took a two-shot lead into the final round but saw that wiped out when he bogeyed the second and playing partner Horschel birdied the third.

A birdie on the par-five seventh edged Morikawa back in front and he also picked up a shot on the ninth to restore his two-shot cushion.

Hovland closed to within a shot of the lead thanks to birdies on the 12th and 13th, the latter following a brilliant up and down from an awkward lie over the green.

However, Morikawa birdied the short par-four 12th at the same time as Hovland three-putted the 14th, giving Morikawa a three-shot lead with six holes remaining.

Koepka had a chance to pile the pressure on Morikawa when he found the green in two on the 606-yard, par-five 17th, only to three-putt from 33 feet.

Rory McIlroy (pictured inset), who was among the players wearing red and black, was within two shots of the lead following a birdie on the third, but bogeyed the fourth and sixth and eventually signed for a 71 to finish in a tie for sixth.

Woods’ close friend Justin Thomas wore a near-replica of the striped shirt Woods wore in the final round of the 2019 Farmers Insurance Open.