Tiger Woods is lucky to be alive after his horrific Los Angeles car accident this week.
Given his stature and the relationships he has with many other golfers, it was expected that we’d see some shoutouts and solidarity with Woods over the weekend. The PGA Tour actually has two events this weekend, but the big names in the sport are in Florida for a World Golf Championship event. Sunday, many players are wearing red and black in honor of Woods, whose traditional Sunday scripting has been a staple of his for decades now.
For Tiger. pic.twitter.com/UmAGYMRMpP
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 28, 2021
Rory in red pic.twitter.com/dDiOgoDU6S
— Dylan Dethier (@dylan_dethier) February 28, 2021
https://twitter.com/PGATOUR/status/1366076056042680324
A lot of those players are Nike athletes, which makes sense. Nike can obviously provide those colors and options very quickly, and their players also don’t have any other logos on their clothing as part of their Nike deal.
Other golfers might not have those items readily able to do a similar tribute. One such player is Max Homa, who won last week’s Tiger-hosted event at Riviera. Homa took to Twitter to preemptively note that he wouldn’t be able to wear red and black on Sunday, but that he was absolutely still thinking of Tiger.
I unfortunately didn’t pack any red and black for this road trip (obviously didn’t know the news til arriving), so I will try and pay my respects to TW tomorrow with some really great final round #golf. Hope to see a lot of red and black out there!
— max homa (@Maxhoma) February 27, 2021
That’s a pretty classy approach from Homa, who has become a favorite thanks to his down-to-earth nature and genuinely entertaining Twitter presence. He’s also not kidding about his affection and reverence for Tiger. Here’s what he tweeted after his win last weekend:
I spent over a dozen years trying to get Tiger to give me a high 5 at Riviera and today he handed me a trophy hahaha what a world! #golf
— max homa (@Maxhoma) February 22, 2021
Unfortunately, because…Twitter, there were plenty of people willing to tell Homa what he’s doing wrong here. A selection:
https://twitter.com/jrstafford/status/1365927638712389634
The entire maintenance crew at the Porto Rico Open can manage to wear Red for Tiger…
All you can manage are excuses.
Do better.
— MarlonOz (@MarlonOz) February 28, 2021
Sarasota has stores
— Eric Garwood (@ericgar62) February 27, 2021
Dude I love you but that’s weak, if I can get red and black tonight so can you. No Targets or Walmarts open near you?
— BH (@BHinCLT) February 27, 2021
https://twitter.com/TheeDomReiske/status/1365806842547421185
No one is doubting your love for tiger, think people are surprised by the shirt thing being a hurdle for ya ?
— Talkin’ Jake (@TalkinJake) February 28, 2021
Because Homa actually reads his own replies (which is what makes him a fun Twitter presence, to begin with) he noticed these and other replies, which led him to try and further explain the situation:
I am contractually obligated to wear clothes with certain logos on them that I can’t buy at a Dicks/Pro shop/Roger Dunn/Walmart/“a store”/etc. Thank u all for the options tho! https://t.co/XAP9QLu78M
— max homa (@Maxhoma) February 28, 2021
When was it decided that there was a Sunday tribute? I read today that Nike, Tiger’s longtime sponsor, is doing something with some of all of their players with red and black https://t.co/xqHBdFU398
— max homa (@Maxhoma) February 28, 2021
I mean this with zero hyperbole, this the weirdest thing I’ve experienced on Twitter lol I love Tiger more than u guys. Promise. Listen to an interview from last week. Red and black tomorrow doesn’t prove that. A lifelong attempt to mimic his approach to the game of golf does
— max homa (@Maxhoma) February 28, 2021
That’s more of an explanation than Twitter deserved, but it’s also a valid one. Homa, despite his win last week, isn’t in a position to dictate apparel setups when he’s signed to various deals and endorsements. He’s clearly not ignoring Tiger Woods, and it’s impossibly dumb that anyone, even in an effort to troll, would feel the need to dictate the right and wrong ways to pay tribute to Woods.
Basically, Twitter is the worst, and we can’t even just have a cool visual with some players wearing red and black on Sunday without negative feedback sent directly to some players who can’t participate. Do better, indeed.
