Not a fan of zodiac signs? Couldn’t care less about what your astrological chart tells you about your future? Huh. Joke’s on you, reader! Because Tiger Woods, legendary competitor that he is, left no stone unturned when it came to getting an edge — to the point where he intimidated an entire generation of hopelessly outmatched peers just by his clothing choice.
That’s right. The Sunday Red Tiger always rocked on the final day of tournaments when he was either chasing down the leaders, or far more frequently, closing out victories with stunning efficiency. Tiger revealed in a video that dropped this particular Sunday that his mom came up with the idea to rock red on Sundays.
“I wear red on Sundays because my mom said that a Capricorn power color is red. As a junior, I wore red one time, and she said, ‘Yep. See? That’s your color.’
And so out of spite, of course, as a little kid, I wore blue the next time I had a chance to win, and I did not win. So I went back to red, and I won, and I’ve stuck with red ever since.”
Didn’t have “horoscopes” anywhere near the odds-on favorite to explain perhaps the most unmistakable, fashion-centric image in the history of golf.
The sight of Tiger in red was something no rival golfers ever wanted to see. For any opponent of his who happened to be on a nearby hole, Tiger stuck out with his muscular build, iconic shirt color, and by the masses of fans who follow him for every shot. As many have said before and will continue to say until he finally retires, Tiger doesn’t just move the needle in golf, he is the needle. Even now! The intimidation factor isn’t necessarily there like it once was since Tiger is a lot more candid nowadays, yet whenever somebody gets paired with him, everything is dialed up to an 11.
For whatever reason, yesterday morning I started firing up 2019 Masters highlights, which marked Tiger’s 15th major championship and fifth green jacket. Partially because I still have to remind myself that it actually happened. Almost five years later, it’s still surreal.
I’ll never forget when Tiger almost aced the par-3 16th hole to essentially lock up the win, and as he was watching his ball, none other than Olympic swimming GOAT Michael Phelps was looking on directly behind him.
Tiger hadn’t won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open until that triumph at Augusta National. When he somehow willed in a birdie on the 72nd hole at Torrey Pines to force a playoff with Rocco Mediate — again, full Sunday Red swag on display — I couldn’t believe it.
If memory serves, Tiger was playing on a torn ACL, a fractured leg, and I’m sure his back was not feeling all that great either.
“Expect anything different!?” Chills every time. What an iconic call by Dan Hicks.
Then, the next day, because of how U.S. Open playoffs work, he had to go head-to-head with Rocco for an entire 18-hole round. They wound up tied, and Tiger finally put it away on the first sudden-death extra hole. Ninety-one holes played on a busted body. Major No. 14. Beyond comprehension.
Big shout out to Kultida Woods for putting some stock in zodiac signs. Skepticism around the concept is understandable. I have no idea what my rising or falling situation is. Nevertheless, it would appear that Tiger Woods’ Sunday Red was written in the stars far before he ever donned the Capricorn power color.
