(Reuters) – The PGA Tour honored the late Kobe Bryant by using the numbers from the basketball star’s Lakers jerseys to determine the location of the pin on a hole at the Phoenix Open on Sunday.
The 16th-hole pin in the final round was cut 24 paces (yards) from the front edge and eight from the left edge of the green to honor Bryant’s two most recognized jersey numbers, the PGA Tour said.
The flag also featured his jersey numbers with a purple 24 on one side and eight on the other.
Third-round leader Tony Finau and world number four Justin Thomas have both worn Bryant jerseys this week to honor the five-times NBA champion who was killed in a helicopter crash along with his 13-year-old daughter and seven others near Los Angeles a week ago.
“It’s a cool gesture,” said world number 26 Rickie Fowler. “You can’t do enough for what Kobe has done and the impact he’s had around the world.”
(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Salvo, North Carolina, editing by Ed Osmond)
