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Tiger Woods had some explaining to do on Saturday (AEDT) – a couple of putter so chilly it left him on the verge of lacking the minimize, and a couple of chauvinist prank he performed on Justin Thomas within the Genesis Invitational.
In his return to elite competitors for the primary time in seven months, Woods triggered fairly a buzz within the opening spherical for all of the incorrect causes.
It began when he ripped a 323 yard drive, some 10 yards longer than the 29-year-old Thomas.
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Strolling off the tee, Woods discreetly put one thing in Thomas’ hand, which Thomas tossed to the bottom when he realised what it was – a tampon, to remind Thomas that Woods hit it additional.
Woods laughed and put his arm round Thomas.
Social media got here to life when the second was posted.
One fan shouted, “Tampon!” at Woods after he made a uncommon putt.
A number of commentators denounced the prank by labelling it “crass” and “misogynistic.”
Woods apologised after his bogey, bogey end for a 74 within the second spherical, which left him over the projected minimize line.
“It was alleged to be all enjoyable and video games and clearly it hasn’t turned out that manner,” Woods mentioned.
”If I offended anyone in any manner, form or type, I’m sorry. It was not supposed to be that manner. It was simply we play pranks on each other on a regular basis and virally I believe this didn’t come throughout that manner.”
Whereas a lot of the response was damaging, Woods had an ally on-line in former school golfer turned mannequin Paige Spiranac.
She mentioned didn’t wish to see Woods develop into a sufferer of cancel tradition over the prank.
“If anybody tries to cancel Tiger over this we riot. It is humorous,” she tweeted.
“It is fascinating to see ladies outraged by Tiger slipping JT a tampon after out driving him however those self same ladies will rapidly tear me down for a way I’ve determined to construct my enterprise. You may’t decide and select when to be a feminist.
“As a substitute of girls being outraged by Tiger and the tampon, I might love for them to really present concepts to assist,” she added.
“For instance I might have (Tampax) staff up with the PGA tour to run a marketing campaign the place they supply free female merchandise at golf programs. Most do not even have them and through lengthy rounds it may be an issue for us.”
Exterior of swearing following dangerous pictures, Woods not often brings this sort of consideration to himself contained in the ropes.
The golf wasn’t significantly better, both.
He missed birdie possibilities early and par possibilities late, and the end was a polar reverse from his opening spherical when he closed with three straight birdies for a 69.
Woods got here inside inches of an ace on the par three 14th, his fifth gap of the spherical, however he missed a 5 foot birdie probability two holes later.
“I didn’t putt nicely as we speak,” Woods mentioned.
“I blocked a variety of putts early, and that is in all probability the very best rating I may have shot as we speak. In all probability ought to have shot in all probability 5 or 6 higher than this simply. Simply didn’t make the putts early and the center a part of the spherical after I had these alternatives. And so they weren’t very exhausting putts.”
He nonetheless was 2 beneath for the event, even for his spherical, when he got here up wanting his goal on the par-3 sixth gap, the well-known inexperienced with a bunker within the center.
The ball rolled down the sting to the entrance of the inexperienced, and the pin was minimize to the highest left.
Arms crossed and a lob wedge in his arms, he studied a number of choices.
He may have pitched it to the again of the inexperienced and up the slope and let it run again towards the outlet.
“If I chipped it up on high, there’s an opportunity that it may truly come again to the entrance a part of the inexperienced,” Woods mentioned, including that is what occurred when he tried it Wednesday in the course of the pro-am.
He modified to the putter to tear up the slope, left of the pin to depart himself about 10 toes away for an opportunity at par. One drawback.
“The hill caught it greater than I believed it could,” he mentioned.
It took velocity off the ball and it turned proper, down the sting of the bunker and into the sand.
He blasted out to 5 toes and made a quick putt with sufficient break that he needed to begin it exterior the cup.
That was the beginning of a foul end.
On the eighth, his tee shot discovered a bunker and he caught it heavy, hit his third over the inexperienced and did nicely to putt from the primary minimize of turf to tap-in vary for bogey.
On his last gap at No.9, he got here up brief and plugged into the bunker.
All he may do with a entrance pin was blasted out via the inexperienced, and his par putt caught the lip.
One other bogey left him at 1-over 143, exterior the highest 65 when he signed his card, and 10 pictures behind the early lead posted by Keith Mitchell.
“I had two dangerous calls on the wind on 6 and 9 and find yourself costing me two pictures there,” Woods mentioned.
He must wait till the second spherical ended to see if it was sufficient to make it to the weekend on the event he hosts.
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