Tiger Woods, in 1st public comment since crash, tweets appreciation for tributes
LOS ANGELES -- In his first public comment since the crash that left him hospitalized, Tiger Woods expressed appreciation Sunday for golfers and fans who dressed in tribute to him at a tournament in Florida.
Golfers at the Workday Championship wore Woods' trademark red shirt and black pants to show appreciation for the game's legend as he continues to recover from the crash.
"It is hard to explain how touching today was when I turned on the TV and saw all the red shirts," Woods tweeted. "To every golfer and every fan, you are truly helping me get through this tough time."
Spectators were also showing their appreciation for Woods, with one woman seen wearing a red face mask with praying hands and TIGER emblazoned across the front.
Rory McIlroy was among the golfers who paid tribute to Woods.
"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 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."
Several other players wore the ensemble that Woods made famous, and Tony Finau took it an extra step by arriving at Concession with his cap turned backward.
RELATED: A look back at key moments in Tiger Woods' golf career
Woods suffered serious injuries to his right leg and foot when his SUV crashed off a road and tumbled down a hill in the Los Angeles suburbs on Tuesday. After a prolonged surgery to put the shattered bones back together, he is recovering and was said to be in good spirits.
"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," Finau said. "We're still playing and we miss him out here, but it was cool just to be a part of that."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
