Tiger Woods apologises for tampon ‘prank’ on his return to action

Tiger Woods has apologised for handing Justin Thomas a tampon after outdriving him during the Genesis Invitational.

Woods, who was making his return to top-level action for the first time since July, could be seen handing the tampon to Thomas as they walked off the ninth tee in the first round.

Thomas immediately threw it on the floor as Woods could be seen laughing as he put his arm around his playing partner.

Yes, Tiger Woods 100% handed Justin Thomas a tampon after he outdrove him. pic.twitter.com/VJbfldyXhw

— Busted Coverage (@bustedcoverage) February 17, 2023

Woods received criticism on social media following the incident and told a press conference after completing his second round: “It was supposed to be all fun and games and obviously it hasn’t turned out that way.

“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 different.”

Some backed Woods’ sense of humour, with well-known social media influencer Paige Spiranac writing on Twitter: “If anyone tries to cancel Tiger over this we riot. It’s funny.”

Others were less impressed with Woods’ sense of humour, with renowned sports journalist Rick Reilly writing: “All his humor is gross and tops out at 7th grade.”

Not a boomer joke. It's a tiger joke. All his humor is gross and tops out at 7th grade.

— Rick Reilly (@ReillyRick) February 17, 2023

The incident occurred during his opening round of 69 at Riviera but Woods was not asked about it until he completed his second round with a three-over-par 74 that put him one over for the tournament.

Rory McIlroy, who played with Woods in the first