The professional golfer issues an apology after being slammed for handing his friend and rival a Tampax tampon following the second round at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California.
- Feb 18, 2023
AceShowbiz - Tiger Woods has broken his silence after being under fire for a tampon incident at the Genesis Open on Thursday, February 16. In a new statement, the golf star issued an apology for handing his 29-year-old friend and rival Justin Thomas a Tampax tampon following the second round at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California.
"Yeah, it was supposed to be all fun and games and obviously it hasn't turned out that way," Woods told ESPN later in the day. "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."
The athlete went on to say, "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."
In a video that circulated online, the 47-year-old could be seen giving Thomas the hygiene product after the latter outdrove the former. The clip saw Thomas quickly tossing the tampon to the ground, though things were all good between the two players. Woods was seen putting his arms around Thomas' shoulders as they both laughed at the prank.
While the athletes laughed the joke off, some Internet users took offense of it. "See, it's funny because feminine hygiene products are INHERENTLY emasculating, so when a man makes another man touch a tampon, he's saying, 'I am a bigger and better man than you, because, GROSS, I made you touch a wrapped Tampax!' " lawyer Ann Olivarius tweeted.
Alex McDaniel, Managing Editor of USA Today's For The Win, tweeted, "If tiger spent three months a year bleeding and coping with period pain, they'd make a whole-ass documentary about how champions overcome insurmountable obstacles."
Following serious leg injuries in a car accident two years ago, Woods has made several competitive appearances while still battling with a grueling recovery process. His participation at the Genesis Invitational this week marked his first official tournament start since The Open Championship in July and his first non-major PGA Tour event since the ZOZO Championship in October 2020.
