Dylan Dreyer recalled the moment that had her “in tears” during her appearance at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions golf competition.
The Today meteorologist and anchor was among the celebrity guests invited to play in the event.
Her husband, cameraman Brian Finchera, joined her, as both are avid golfers.
Other participants in the tournament included actor Alfonso Ribeiro, former NBA star Ray Allen, former NFL player Emmitt Smith, and baseball great Albert Pujols.
While there, Dreyer discussed her career future, teasing she will take on a more prominent role with Today once her colleague, Al Roker, retires.
However, she also had a moment on the golf course when she reflected on losing another friend.
Dreyer shares her teary-eyed moment at golf event
While participating in the celebrity golf tournament in Orlando, Florida, Dylan Dreyer said that a tribute at the course’s No. 18 hole brought tears to her eyes.
That part of the course featured No. 49, which former Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield wore. The two-time World Series winner is among the pitching greats remembered by the team. His 97 wins rank second to only Roger Clemens’ 100.
The MLB pitching great died in October 2023 due to a seizure from brain cancer at 57.
Wakefield participated in several golf events during his career and retirement, including the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament event.
Earlier this week, Dreyer shared a video of herself connecting on a shot at the No. 18 hole near the tribute to Wakefield.
“A few months ago, we lost our dear friend #timwakefield. They honored him with his number on hole 18 at #hgvlpga. @fishlense and I had tears in our eyes when my ball landed within 10 feet from this tribute. We miss you every day Wake!!” she wrote in her caption.
Dreyer’s post received over 4,900 likes as others reacted to the emotional moment that the Today star recalled.
Dreyer said ‘hearts were breaking’ during her Today colleague’s health scare
While at the golf tournament as a celebrity guest, Dreyer also spoke about Al Roker and the health scare that had his Today colleagues worried. Roker experienced blood clots in late 2022, leading to him missing the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time in over 25 years.
She said everyone was “very open about how bad it got” for Roker then. Dreyer also called him an “inspiration” for everyone else as he’s “the picture of health.”
“Our hearts were breaking for everything he was going through and his family was going through, but in true Al fashion, he figured out what was wrong and he fixed it,” she told the US Sun.
She shared, “I feel like Al is the bionic man, and prayers go a long way – we certainly were all praying for him at that difficult time. “
“He reminds us that we can all keep going no matter what happens in your life: just keep going,” Dylan said of Roker.
During the health scare, Dreyer replaced Roker as one of NBC’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade hosts in 2022. Eventually, Roker recovered and has seemed to be in good health since.
He returned to Today early in 2023 and resumed his work with the show. He also returned to host the 2023 edition of the Macy’s holiday parade, with Dreyer and others glad to see him back doing what he loves.