Tiger Woods on making an attempt at hand Justin Thomas a tampon: ‘I’m sorry’

Tiger Woods ducked into the clubhouse for a loo break after ending 9 holes Friday. While his sizable gallery waited for him to return to the subsequent tee, spectators couldn’t resist trying humor. Someone would yell out a one-liner and everybody else would both chuckle or cringe.

A day earlier Woods was caught on video making an attempt at hand enjoying companion Justin Thomas a tampon after Woods outdrove him on the ninth gap. Thomas slapped it to the bottom and Woods laughed and playfully put his arm round Thomas’ shoulder as they walked down the green.

The story line of Woods unexpectedly enjoying within the Genesis Invitational on the Riviera Country Club — a event the place is he host and on a course the place he’s by no means received — had taken a infantile, even sexist, flip.

After taking pictures a three-over-par 74 that put him at one over for the event — simply ok to make the lower — Woods issued an apology and quasi-explanation.

“Yeah, it was supposed to be all fun and games and obviously it hasn’t turned out that way,” he mentioned.

“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.”

Woods, 47, has a 15-year-old daughter, Sam Alexis Woods, who performs soccer. His TGR Foundation, which is partially funded by the Genesis Invitational, professes on its web site to “equip young people with the tools and support they need to discover their passions, deepen their knowledge and gain real-world experiences on their path to achieve their dreams.”

Point being, possibly Woods ought to maintain himself to a better normal. Maybe he ought to have had second ideas about pulling a prank offensive to a good portion of the general public. He is taken into account the best golfer of all time and stays immensely common, not solely with followers however along with his colleagues.

“It’s his tournament, he represents the game better than anyone else can and he’s the guy that everyone looks up to,” mentioned Collin Morikawa, talking typically about Woods and never particularly in regards to the tampon incident. “We’re always listening when he’s talking.”

As for his spherical, Woods putted poorly early and bogeyed the final two holes to place himself in jeopardy of not making the lower. He missed 4 birdie putts in his first seven holes, following glorious method photographs with catastrophe on the greens.

“I probably should have shot five or six better than this easily,” he mentioned. “Just didn’t make the putts early and the middle part of the round when I had those opportunities. And they weren’t very hard putts, I just hit bad putts and obviously had a very bad finish, too.”

Woods’ putter is his most well-known membership, a Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS nicknamed the “cherry bomb” due to distinctive pink circles on the entrance heel and rear cavity. It’s 24 years outdated and he’s used it in 14 of his 15 majors victories and 66 of his 82 PGA Tour wins.

It betrayed him Friday although, and ultimately the remainder of his recreation adopted go well with. It took him 4 photographs to succeed in the greens on every of the final two holes.

“I could have easily got off to a very hot start and I did not, and then middle part of the round I could have turned it around a little bit and I did not,” he mentioned.

Update: Woods will tee off at 10:12 a.m. Saturday in a bunch with Christiaan Bezuidenhout of South Africa and Matthias Schwab of Austria.

Max Homa is chasing historical past

The chief is Max Homa of Valencia with a ten below 132 after he adopted a seven below first spherical with a stable second day. He is on tempo to equal the 38-year event file of 264 set by Lanny Wadkins in 1985.

Joaquin Niemann set 36-hole and 54-hole information final 12 months at 126 and 194 respectively, and shot a 70 on Sunday to win the event however fell one shot wanting Wadkins’ file. Niemann isn’t enjoying this 12 months as a result of he defected to LIV Golf.

The most entertaining shot Friday was by Jon Rahm, whose five-wood second shot on the 604-yard par-five No. 17 drifted to the appropriate, ricocheted off of the grandstands, bounced again by means of the tough and trickled onto the inexperienced, settling lower than 4 toes from the opening.

The eagle helped Rahm end one shot behind Homa heading into Saturday together with Keith Mitchell and Lee Hodges. Collin Morikawa is fifth at eight below.

“I got very fortunate to get that bounce not only to go on the green, but to have basically three feet straight up the hill,” Rahm mentioned. “That’s arguably the best bounce I’ve seen in person my whole golf career and it would be hard to beat in the future.

He laughed, delighting in a Rahm Com that undoubtedly will enjoy repeated viewings.

“For those wondering, no, did I not call bank,” he mentioned. “I don’t think anybody calls bank in that situation.”