Phil Mickelson won three NCAA individual golf titles at Arizona State and led the Sun Devils to the team championship in 1990.
It’s safe to say that he never thought he’d wear a red shirt bearing the logo of his school’s in-state rivals, the Arizona Wildcats.
But Mickelson did it over the weekend, joining several other golfers in wearing the red-and-black combination Tiger Woods is known for wearing on Sundays.
Woods suffered a shattered ankle and two leg fractures in a car accident near Rancho Palos Verdes on Tuesday. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said that day that the golfing great was “lucky to be alive.”
“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,” Mickelson said after his final round at the PGA Tour Champions Cologuard Classic.
The course is in Tucson, which also happens to be the city the University of Arizona calls home.
A last-minute shopping trip to buy a red shirt with a logo he never thought he’d wear. All worth it in support of Tiger. pic.twitter.com/KAqDYD0ArW
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) March 1, 2021
“I had to buy a red shirt, and, of course, every red shirt here has a big A on it. I’m not gonna flash it, but it’s under here,” said Mickelson, whose black pullover covered the rival school’s logo on his shirt.
“I hope he knows that we’re supporting him. Because that was a lot for me to do that — no, just kidding.”
A number of players at the WGC-Workday Championship in Bradenton, Fla. — including Jason Day, Tony Finau, Tommy Fleetwood, Cameron Champ, Sebastian Munoz, Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed — adapted Woods’ signature Sunday look as well.
“We’ve enjoyed so many Sundays watching Tiger do his thing,” Finau said. “Red and black, that’s what Tiger does on Sundays, so to just join in and just let Tiger know we’re supporting him in the best way we can. … It was just cool to be part of that today.”
Meanwhile at the Puerto Rico Open, the maintenance staff at Grand Reserve Country Club in Rio Grande donned the red shirt-black pants combination in honor of Woods.
Woods, who is recovering at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center from multiple procedures following the accident, took to Twitter to express his gratitude for the outpouring of support.
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.
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) March 1, 2021
“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.”
