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Tiger Woods stirred a controversy after he pulled an ‘off-color’ prank on his best friend Justin Thomas at the 2023 Genesis Invitational. The legendary golfer slipped a female hygienic product into Thomas’ hands after outdriving him on the ninth hole at Riviera. This has led to him facing backlash.
Star Olympian Michael Johnson is the latest name to blast Woods for his actions. The American sprinter dismissed the golfer’s apology as well. He stated that the apologies that start with “if I offended anybody” aren’t real. The four-time Olympic gold medalist sprinter went on to slam the PGA Tour star for his past actions and said that he’d “learned nothing” over the years.
Michael Johnson tweeted:
“Apology starting with “If I offended anyone” is no apology. But this is Tiger. Never been a leader and he’s Teflon. Still heralded after all the mistakes so he’s learned nothing.”
In the same tweet, the sprinter also shed light on the golfer's ’recoveries' and their stories from the past.
He continued:
“Media focus always on miraculous recovery. Never why the need for recovery.”
The Olympian’s criticism came just hours after Tiger Woods released a public apology for his actions. As the incident drew criticism on social media, the 15-time major champion claimed that it was a prank that didn't mean to hurt anyone's sentiments.
Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Woods said:
“It was supposed to be all fun and games and obviously it hasn't turned out that way. If I offended anybody, it was not the case, it was just friends having fun."
He added:
“As I said, 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.”
The tampon controversy went viral overnight. The incident has become the highlight of the Genesis Invitational so far. It is pertinent to note that this is Tiger Woods’ first competitive PGA Tour event since missing the cut at The Open in July. The ace golfer was clubbed with his two best friends, PGA Championship winner Thomas and four-time major winner Rory McIlroy for the first two rounds.
Paige Spiranac backs Tiger Woods over tampon row
While many continue to slam Tiger Woods for his actions, Paige Spiranac was one who came out in his support. The golfer-turned-influencer defended the 47-year-old on Twitter by stating that she will ‘riot’ if people tried to cancel him over the tampon incident.
Backing Tiger Woods, Spiranac tweeted:
"If anyone tries to cancel Tiger over this we riot. It's funny."
She further added in another tweet:
"It’s interesting to see women outraged by Tiger slipping JT a tampon after out driving him but those same women will quickly tear me down for how I’ve decided to build my business. You can’t pick and choose when to be a feminist."
It’s safe to say that the golf world is divided over the incident. Several tweets have mixed opinions online.
