ADVERTISEMENT

Tiger Woods offered a subtle tribute to Kobe Bryant after sinking his putt on the 8th hole at the Genesis Invitational

Tiger Woods shot a two-under 69 in the first round of the Genesis Open on Thursday.

Tiger Woods
  • Woods sank a 24-foot, 8-inch putt to eagle the first hole of his round. "It was a nice way to start," said Woods, noting that the numbers matched the two numbers that Kobe Bryant had worn during his NBA career.
  • Then at the eighth hole, which had a purple-and-gold flag to honor Bryant, Woods gave a subtle flick of the wrist after sinking his putt.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .
ADVERTISEMENT

Tiger Woods shot a two-under, 69 in the first round of the Genesis Invitational on Thursday.

During his round, Woods had two moments that served as tributes to Kobe Bryant, one intentional, and one that came more or less out of the blue.

Woods reached the green of the par-5 No. 1 at Riviera Country Club in two shots and was left with a long putt for a potential opening eagle.

ADVERTISEMENT

Just how long of a putt was it? 24 feet, eight inches both numbers that Bryant wore throughout his career with the Lakers.

Woods sunk the putt to start his day at two-under.

Then at No. 8, where the course was flying a purple-and-gold flag as a tribute to Bryant, Woods celebrated his birdie with a flourished flick of the wrist while passing his ball back to his caddie. It was a move that many sports fans have made while shooting a balled-up piece of paper at a trash bin while shouting out "Kobe!"

After his round, Woods was touched when he learned of the exact distance of his opening eagle putt.

"It's ironic, isn't it? It was a nice way to start," said Woods, per ESPN . "I didn't know about the putt being that long. As I said, ironic that having those two numbers. And then No. 8, happened to hit one in there close and had a nice little kick in there for birdie.

ADVERTISEMENT

"No matter what we do, I think for a while we're going to always remember Kobe and what he meant, and especially here in SoCal and the entire sports world. Like I said, very ironic that I happened to have those numbers on those holes and those exact measurements."

Woods entered the second round of the tournament tied for 17th, with Matt Kuchar leading after the first round with a seven-under day. With one more win, Woods would break his current tie with Sam Snead for most PGA Tour wins in history.

Read more:

ADVERTISEMENT

See Also:

FOLLOW BUSINESS INSIDER AFRICA

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Recommended articles

10 wealthiest countries in Africa according to Henley&Partners

10 wealthiest countries in Africa according to Henley&Partners

5 African countries with the highest Schengen visa rejection rates

5 African countries with the highest Schengen visa rejection rates

Top 10 African countries with the strongest governments

Top 10 African countries with the strongest governments

Oluwatomi Solanke Shares Trove Finance's Journey of Pioneering Micro-Investment in Nigeria

Oluwatomi Solanke Shares Trove Finance's Journey of Pioneering Micro-Investment in Nigeria

Beyond diagnostics: The expanding role of medical laboratories in West Africa

Beyond diagnostics: The expanding role of medical laboratories in West Africa

President Ruto seems to be winning the goodwill of his people

President Ruto seems to be winning the goodwill of his people

OPEC eyes Namibia for possible membership as oil production looms

OPEC eyes Namibia for possible membership as oil production looms

Investor confidence in Nigeria dropped drastically over the last decade

Investor confidence in Nigeria dropped drastically over the last decade

5 reasons why Lagos real estate is so expensive

5 reasons why Lagos real estate is so expensive

ADVERTISEMENT