"Tiger means everything to me."
That's 24-year-old golf star Collin Morikawa getting extremely emotional about his idol, Tiger Woods, in the moments after winning a huge PGA event on Sunday ... and it's powerful stuff.
Morikawa had just won the World Golf Championships-Workday tournament in Bradenton, FL -- putting together a monster final round to hold off a stellar field of the PGA Tour's biggest stars.
During the post-match interview, he was asked about Woods ... and things got so emotional, Morikawa could barely hold back the tears.
"Yes, you know, he had the crash and thankfully he's all right and hopefully has a quick and great recovery," Morikawa said.
"But I don't think we say 'Thank you' enough. So I want to say thank you to Tiger. Because sometimes you lose people too early and that's -- Kobe. I lost my grandpa about a month ago. And you don't get to say thank you enough. So thank you, guys."
"I don't think we say thank you enough, so I want to say thank you to Tiger." pic.twitter.com/isVg9IJ5zo
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) February 28, 2021
Morikawa's post-round conversation was one of many ways Tiger was honored during the event over the weekend ... with huge stars like Tony Finau and Rory McIlroy paying homage to the 45-year-old by dressing like him.
The guys rocked red shirts with black pants -- Tiger's signature Sunday look -- and Woods appreciated the gesture so much, he released a statement over it all late Sunday evening.
"It is hard to explain how touching today was when I turned on the tv and saw all the red shirts," Tiger said. "To every golfer and every fan, you are truly helping me get through this tough time."
Woods, meanwhile, is continuing to recover at the famed Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. after requiring multiple surgeries to try to repair the injuries he suffered in the wreck.