Tiger Woods spoke publicly for the first time since his mother’s passing, spending time with Jim Nantz and Trevor Immelman in the CBS broadcast booth during the final round of The Genesis Invitational on Sunday.
Woods called his mother, Kultida, his “rock.” Woods was expected to make his season debut at this week’s Genesis Invitational, a tournament he hosts. He withdrew earlier this week, citing his mom’s death. Kultida Woods passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 4. She was 80 years old.
“It’s been a tough process to go through but I’ve had amazing family support,” Woods told Nantz and Immelman. “All the players have reached out that were playing here this week. The amount of texts and emails and nice messages of support I got has really helped. It’s really meant a lot to me.
“She meant everything to me and losing her has been a very hard and difficult process to go through.”
Woods shared memories of Kultida driving him around to golf tournaments all across Southern California and making sure Woods prioritized his academics.
“If I didn’t get any homework done, I wasn’t allowed to play,” Woods said. “… School came first before any sport I was playing.”
The seventh hole pin flag on the Torrey Pines South Course was replaced with a white flag during the four rounds of competition at The Genesis Invitational, honoring Kultida. The flag has no logos or numbers. The gesture is meant to honor Kultida’s heritage. White symbolizes purity, wisdom and longevity in Buddhism. The number seven is also integral in Buddhist culture, tied to seven factors of enlightenment.
Additionally, players wore custom red pins during The Genesis Invitational’s final round in Kultida’s memory. Woods sported the tribute pin as he arrived at Torrey Pines for Sunday’s final round.
