During the third round of the Genesis Invitational, Tiger Woods got up up and personal with a spectator after striking his ball into his pocket.
Woods, who is still recovering from injuries incurred in a vehicle accident two years ago, was taking part in his first PGA Tour event since the Open Tournament at St. Andrews last summer. Tiger acknowledged at the Masters last year that his career on the Tour was now only part-time as a result of the collision.
In addition, despite competing in only three tournaments in 2022—the Masters, the PGA Championship, and The Open—he began his 2023 season a little sooner after playing on the Riviera course last week.
Woods, who was one over par for the event going into the weekend, amazingly made the cut on his return.
But, on Saturday, he turned back the years to record a four-under 67 in round three, which featured an eagle at the first hole. This was his best round of the week.
For the 15-time major title winner, things were not always easy. In one instance, Woods’ tee shot on the par-4 13th hole flew off course and into a crowd of spectators gathered on the right side of the fairway.
After it had fallen into a spectator’s pocket behind the ropes, Woods discovered his ball in the strangest of locations as he made his way from the tee box to the green.
The American and the star-struck fan were spotted having a long chat while a rules official was brought over.
The supporter was overheard telling the 82-time PGA Tour winner and the official: “My jacket fell to the ground as soon as I took it off. I haven’t moved from where I was standing.” After receiving some reprieve, Woods completed the hole with a par.
The fan told interviewers that he was “stoked” thereafter. He said “Woods struck all of a sudden, and nobody knows where it went. I looked down, and there was this lump in my pocket. I had no idea; it simply appeared. How likely are things? I am thrilled.”
The pleasant fan fight occurred during a week when not all golf fans were delighted with the 82-time champion.
Last Thursday’s first round saw Woods endure severe wrath when it was captured on camera as he gave his playing partner and close buddy Justin Thomas a tampon after outdriving him.
In response, Woods expressed regret for offending anybody. He stated: “It wasn’t intended to be all fun and games, but it’s become clear that it hasn’t been. If I insulted someone, it was not intentional. Just buddies having a good time.
“As I already said, I apologize if I offended anybody in any way. It was not the planned outcome. We often play practical jokes on one another, so I don’t believe it came out that way online, but it was different between us.
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