Collin Morikawa and others to pay tribute to Tiger Woods on Sunday

Tiger Woods on the mind of 54-hole leader Collin Morikawa at the WGC-Workday Championship

Tiger Woods may be lying in a Los Angeles hospital bed 2,000 miles away, but his presence will still be felt on Sunday during the final round of the WGC-Workday Championship.

Third-round leader Collin Morikawa, as well as Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed, have revealed they plan on wearing Woods’ traditional red-and-black Sunday attire when they play the final 18 holes at Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida. The 24-year-old Morikawa currently holds a two-shot lead at 15-under as he chases his fourth PGA Tour title and first World Golf Championship victory.

Woods, who was injured in an auto accident in Rancho Palos Verdes, just outside Los Angeles, on Tuesday, was transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Wednesday night to continue his recovery. He underwent follow-up procedures on his right leg Friday and is “recovering and in good spirits,” according to a statement released by his foundation.

He’s not there in Bradenton, competing in the tournament he’s won seven times in his career, but he’s not far from the minds of his fellow players. Morikawa was just two months old when Woods first won the Masters in 1997 and doesn’t remember a time when Woods wasn’t the best player in the game. Growing up in southern California, he idolized Woods and is following in his footsteps. A win on Sunday would make Morikawa the only player other than Woods with both a major championship and WGC before the age of 25.

McIlroy, who’s not just a competitor of Woods but a close friend, put Woods’ accident in perspective during his pre-tournament press conference. The focus, McIlroy said, shouldn’t be on whether Woods will return to the player he once was; it should be on the fact that his children still have their dad.

“At this stage, I think everyone should just be grateful that he’s here, that he’s alive, that his kids haven’t lost their dad,” he said. “We’re very lucky that he’s still here. I feel like we should pay tribute to him every day for being on the PGA Tour and what he’s done for golf.”

Wearing red-and-black, the same outfit that Woods has worn for 15 major championships and 82 PGA Tour titles, is a small gesture, but there is nothing small about the regard he’s held on the PGA Tour. It’s a tribute to a man who has meant so much to the game, and everyone playing on Sunday, whether they’re in red-and-black or not, recognizes it.