In the wake of his mother Kultida's death, Tiger Woods withdrew from the Genesis Invitational, which he hosts.
However, he still made it to Southern California and joined Jim Nantz and Trevor Immelman on the CBS broadcast during the final round.
Woods released a statement following his mother’s passing on Feb. 4, but on the telecast, he made his first public comments since her passing.
“Tough process to go through, but I’ve had amazing family support,” Woods said. “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 and has really meant a lot to me.”
The 15-time major winner expanded on what his mother meant to him and how much of a vital part she was in his illustrious golf career.
“Mom was my rock,” he said. “When my dad worked at McDonnell Douglas at that time, was working on the Delta rocket and Mom would take me to every junior event here in Southern California, whether it’s a nine holes out in Riverside or San Bernardino and she’d drive out there and keep score walk every hole.
“And how many putts I hit, how many fairways I hit, how many greens I hit ... she tracked it all.”
But to Kultida, golf didn't come first.
”She was hard on me about school,” he said, “by getting good grades and doing well in school and to be honest with you, if I didn’t get any homework done, I wasn't allowed to go play.”
"My mom was my rock. She meant everything to me."
— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) February 16, 2025
Tiger Woods on the passing of his beloved mother, Kultida Woods. pic.twitter.com/3FQYrCc9Bk
The Genesis Invitational has taken steps to honor Kultida this week.
“During the competition rounds, hole No. 7 will feature an all-white flag, in honor of Woods’ mother Tida. From Thailand, Tida was a faithful Buddhist; the number seven and color white are significant in the Buddhism and will be displayed in her honor,” a statement from the PGA Tour said.
Tiger Woods will make another public appearance Tuesday, playing in the TGL match in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., with his Jupiter Links team.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tiger Woods Opens Up About Mother’s Death During Genesis Broadcast.
