Tiger Woods apologises for gag with Justin Thomas
By Matt Chivers
Tiger Woods appeared to hand over a female hygiene product to Justin Thomas after out-driving him on the 9th hole at Riviera Country Club.
The crowds were out. The phones were out. Tiger Woods finally made his long-awaited return to the PGA Tour in the first round of the 2023 Genesis Invitational.
His grouping with Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas was like a golf course magnet as spectators followed the trio around Riviera Country Club like a dog on a lead.
He gave them something to cheer for later in the day when Woods finished with three consecutive birdies.
He gave a cheeky smile to Thomas on the 18th green as he rolled back the years in his first non-major start since 2020.
Woods and his ‘little brother’ also seemed to enjoy themselves on the 9th hole after the 47-year-old out-drove the two-time PGA Championship winner with a 323-yard tee shot.
On their way from the tee box to the fairway, Woods was pictured handing a Tampax, a brand of tampon, to his good friend and the pair shared a laugh about it.
Thomas went one better than the 15-time major champion on the day with a round of three-under-par, while McIlroy trumped him with a card of four-under-par.
Woods returned to competition at a PGA Tour event for the first time since emotionally waving goodbye to the St Andrews crowd at the 150th Open Championship.
Woods apologised for the prank after the second round, saying:
“It was supposed to be all fun and games and obviously it hasn’t turned out that way. If I offended anybody, it was not the case, it was just friends having fun.
“As I said, if I offended anybody in any way, shape or form, I’m sorry. It was not intended to be that way.
“It was just we play pranks on one another all the time and virally I think this did not come across that way, but between us it was – it’s different.”
What did you make of the Woods and Thomas gag?
Do you think it is harmless fun, or does it reflect the attitudes that currently exist in the sport?
We took a look at social media to see how golf fans reacted to these pictures of Woods and Thomas…
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Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.
What’s in Matt’s bag: Cobra LTDx LS driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, TaylorMade P7MC irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.
