Ryder Cup stars pays tribute to Kobe Bryant at Phoenix Open
Friday 31 January 2020 13:39, UK
Tributes to Kobe Bryant were plentiful on the opening day of the Phoenix Open, with the atmosphere around the 16th hole more sombre than usual at TPC Scottsdale.
Ryder Cup stars Justin Thomas and Tony Finau were among several players to slip on a Bryant replica vest before hitting their tee shots at the daunting par-three, with Finau also decked out in shoes bearing the colours of the LA Lakers.
Thomas also had tributes stamped on his wedges, with "Mamba Mentality", "Kobe Bean Bryant", "Black Mamba" and "81 points" all inscribed, while his jersey was Bryant's No 33 from his high school - Lower Merion, near Philadelphia.
"I've always been a huge fan of his. I've always loved watching him play, just loved hearing about his work ethic and stuff that he did on and off the court and how he just always worked harder than everybody else," Thomas said.
"It's probably the reason, I mean, obviously, he's freakishly talented, but why he was better than everybody else because he was going to work harder to get there and just kind of will himself to be a winner.
"That's something that I hope to do when I'm out there playing, when I have a chance to win the tournament, I want to have that Mamba mentality, if you will, to try to close it out."
Finau, a long-time Lakers and Kobe Bryant fan, received a rapturous welcome from the spectators when he arrived on the 16th tee sporting the famous yellow No 8 vest, and he held his composure to hit a decent shot to 20 feet.
He said: "That will probably give you an idea of how much an impact Kobe was in my life just as a sports junkie. I'm a huge fan of basketball, the NBA and the Lakers, and in huge part because of Kobe Bryant.
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"He was a star, his work ethic is something that will be talked about, that's what his legacy is. I remember actually wearing his shoes out here in 2016 just giving him props for the Mamba mentality and kind of what he taught a lot of athletes in pursuing your dreams.
"His legacy for sure is one of hard work and commitment to your craft. That's Kobe Bryant."
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