The Masters 2019: Why does Tiger Woods always wear red on Sundays?
Just the thought of Tiger Woods is synonymous with his Sunday red polo shirt. The garment that became a renowned symbol of golf's most indomitable closer and possessed an aura that drummed doubt into the subconscious of his opponents. But why does Woods wear red?
The truth, in fact, as admitted to by the man himself, is that his religion to the red shirt stems in fact from the instructions of his mother, Kultida.
"I wear red on Sundays because my mum thinks that that's my power colour," Woods explained. "And you know you should always listen to your mom."
The shirt has also taken on a meaning of psychology. When Luke Donald was paired in the final group with Woods at the US PGA Championship in 2006, the Englishman had already set out his clothes for the week and planned to wear red on Sunday.
"Obviously Saturday night I knew I was playing with Tiger. I think if I changed my outfit, it was almost like giving in to him already on the first hole. It [wearing red] was nothing against Tiger. I wasn't trying to make a statement or anything. I thought if I changed it, I'd have already lost," Donald told the Associated Press.
Donald would go on to shoot a 74. Woods, meanwhile, would cruise to victory with a 68.
Woods' red polo has also inspired other players to follow suit, none more famously than 2018 champion Patrick Reed, who wears Sunday red in tribute to Woods who he has idolised ever since watching him practising on legendary instructor Hank Haney's ranch as a young boy.
