After a seven-month break, Tiger Woods is back playing competitive golf, but it looks like he isn’t taking it all too seriously if his “gift” to partner Justin Thomas is any indication.
On Thursday, Woods appeared at the Genesis Invitational and finished five strokes back from the leader at 2-under par with a 69.
Woods played alongside his good pal Justin Thomas as well as Rory McIlroy. And on the ninth tee, after Woods popped a longer drive than Thomas, Woods had a special gift for the younger player, and the whole thing was caught on video, USA Today reported.
Woods hit a 323-yard drive off the tee while Thomas’ shot only ranged out to 313 yards. And that was the moment that Tiger was waiting for, because as the two began walking down the fairway, Woods slipped a tampon into Thomas’ hand.
WATCH:
Yes, Tiger Woods 100% handed Justin Thomas a tampon after he outdrove him. pic.twitter.com/VJbfldyXhw
— Busted Coverage (@bustedcoverage) February 17, 2023
Tiger Woods had a gift for Justin Thomas after driving it past him on number nine.
(via @GettyImages) pic.twitter.com/HXZEQSAhEU
— Rick Gehman (@RickRunGood) February 17, 2023
McIlroy also noted that he was a bit miffed that Tiger was outdriving him and later noted that he’d better put some driving range time in so that Tiger isn’t out driving him in the future.
“I’m going to go work on the range. I put my driver up a click in loft at the start of the week, I might have to turn it back down again,” McIlroy said. “I don’t like him hitting it by me.”
Woods had a good day overall, with three birdies in a row to end round two.
“I didn’t want to be the idiot host to miss it right in front of everybody after I just went birdie-birdie,” Woods said. “It was a great round.”
Woods has a ways to go were he to catch the leaders, though. At the top of the board are Max Homa and Keith Mitchell who are both at five under par.
Naturally, not everyone was amused by Tiger’s tampon joke. Many on social media attacked Woods for misogyny.
Really, Tiger? You’re a 47-year-old ‘girl dad’ who still pulls juvenile and sexist tampon pranks like an immature school boy? My @usatodaysports column: https://t.co/s6Pk6vTLn3
— Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) February 17, 2023
Positioning menstruation as weakness is the patriarchy and this is a puerile, stale joke. Let’s put the menstrual cramp machine on Tiger Woods so he can have some more data about menstruation. https://t.co/0tuZdYzjLZ
— Jennifer Gunter (@DrJenGunter) February 17, 2023
Sports commentators laughing, and the fact that Tiger Woods had the tampon in his pocket, ready for the right moment to disrespect women, again 🙄 yeah, I guess Tiger might want to get a refresher on all that therapy he had after his first wife discovered what his other hobby was
— liz (@liz63972336) February 17, 2023
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