It has been one week since golf legend Tiger Woods was involved in a single-car accident that broke his lower right leg and shattered his ankle. To show their support, several golfers at the WGC-Workday Championship in Bradenton, FL wore red shirts and black bottoms. A red shirt and black pants along with a cap have been a signature outfit for Woods.
Golf legend Phil Mickelson also explained why he wore black and red during the final round of the tournaments last weekend.
“I don’t own a red shirt, so two things happened today,” Mickelson said. “I wore red on Sunday in honor of Tiger to let him know that all the players really support him and appreciate all that he’s done.”
Moved by the tribute, Woods took to Twitter to show his gratitude.
“It is hard to explain how touching today was when I turned on the tv and saw all the red shirts,” he stated. “To every golfer and every fan, you are truly helping me get through this tough time.”
Investigations have been underway for the car crash and forensic car accident experts claim that Woods could have not been paying attention or even had been asleep moments before the vehicle veered off-road.
The 15-time major winner was driving a Genesis GV80 on the day of the crash. The injuries to his right leg indicate he was applying the brake at the time of impact. This evidence can imply that he braked late in the collision sequence.
Jonathan Cerney, an expert witness in court cases and consultant, inspected the crash site and explained it as “a drift off the rode.”
“To me, this is like a classic case of falling asleep behind the wheel, because the road curves and his vehicle goes straight,” Cerney said.
Some experts on the case also implied that the evidence from the crash does not show that Woods lost control of the vehicle.
Wood’s team gave an update to his fans via Twitter on Friday night. He has transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and received follow-up procedures on Friday morning.
“The procedures were successful, and he is now recovering and in good spirits,” Wood’s team stated. “Tiger and his family want to thank you all for the wonderful support and messages they have received over the past few days.”
Looking at Wood’s injuries might lead one to believe that the 11-time PGA Player of the Year might call it a career after facing such a tragic accident. However, there have been many notable athletes that have battled back from severe injuries.
Any Lakers fan can recall the night when the late Kobe Bryant suffered an Achilles injury during the 2012-2013 season and fought valiantly to return to the hardwood. Tennis legend Serena Williams had severe childbirth complications but is still excelling in major tournaments.
WNBA star Breanna Steward missed the entire 2019 season due to a torn Achilles and returned to gameplay in 2020, leading the Seattle Storm to win the WNBA championship. Clippers star, Paul George suffered a broken leg during a scrimmage with the U.S. national team in 2014 and ultimately recovered and helped the USA men’s basketball team win gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
For an athlete, injuries become another opponent that they must defeat. To quit is never an option. Woods is not new to a challenge, in life or in golf. If Woods is anything like the aforementioned athletes, he will return to golf after recovering.
