LOS ANGELES – Tiger Woods apologized Friday for his prank on Justin Thomas in which Woods handed Thomas a tampon after outdriving him on the ninth hole.
In the opening round of the Genesis Invitational, Woods discretely handed Thomas the tampon in what he said was supposed to be a private moment between friends, but the exchange went viral after a photographer captured the handoff.
Tiger Woods had a gift for Justin Thomas after driving it past him on number nine.
— Rick Gehman (@RickRunGood) February 17, 2023
(via @GettyImages) pic.twitter.com/HXZEQSAhEU
Video showed Thomas dropping the tampon while walking off the tee, with both Woods and Thomas breaking into laughter. Woods had outdriven Thomas by about 10 yards on his way to an opening-round 69.
“It was supposed to be all fun and games,” Woods said, “and obviously it hasn’t turned out that way. It was just friends having fun. If I offended anybody in any way, shape or form, I’m sorry. It was not intended to be that way.”
Woods considers Thomas to be one of his closest friends on the PGA Tour, but some found Woods’ gesture to be immature and offensive.
“We play pranks on one another all the time,” he said, “and virally, I think this did not come across that way, but because it was us, it’s different.”