Tiger Woods Says He's 'Sorry' For Crude Tampon Victory Prank On Justin Thomas

Tiger Woods has tendered an apology following his tampon prank.

The golfer recently received backlash over his victory prank of gifting fellow golfer Justin Thomas a tampon after their game on Thursday at the Genesis Invitational. Several social media users labeled the joke sexist, although some defended Woods.

He also discussed his performance at the tournament, acknowledging that he had performed below par in some instances. Woods previously suffered major leg injuries after an accident in 2021.

Read below for more details.

On Friday, Woods addressed his quirky victory prank of handing fellow golfer Thomas a tampon during the Genesis Invitational the day before. 

"It was supposed to be all fun and games, and obviously, it hasn't turned out that way," Woods said on the incident, per Insider. "If I offended anybody, it was not the case, it was just friends having fun."

Doubling down on his remarks, the pro golfer shared that it was not uncommon for him and Thomas to play pranks on each other from time to time.

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."

Woods garnered online criticism after the prank went viral, as many referred to the act as sexist.

Actor and Rob Lowe's brother, Chad Lowe, said, "Tiger Woods handing Justin Thomas a tampon after out driving him is some really sick, misogynistic, bullshit." 

Reporter Alison Hall asked, "Did Tiger Woods go to the store... and buy a box of tampons? And tuck one into his golf bag? For this 'hilarious' stunt? Or did he swipe it off his teenage daughter? So many questions. So little laughter."

However, some individuals defended the prank saying it was just a joke between two friends and should not have caused such an uproar.

One Twitter user noted, "It was something between two friends. But as usual we have to hear about someone's feelings on everything that happens in the world."

On the Friday of the press interview, Woods ended the day with a score of 74, which is expected to be sufficient for him to retain his spot in the tournament, although it was below his usual standards.

"I did not putt well today, I blocked a lot of putts early, and this is probably the highest score I could have shot today," the golfer told ESPN, per Insider.

He added, "Probably should have shot probably 5 or 6 better than this easily. 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' participation in the Genesis Invitational is his first in seven months after being involved in a car accident in 2021 that left him with major leg injuries. 

Woods' automobile overturned and slid off the road while traveling in California, necessitating surgery to repair fractures in his right leg and a broken ankle.

According to reports, the legendary golfer struck a raised central reserve at a high rate of speed, slamming through a street sign and a tree before his Genesis GV80 SUV turned numerous times.

Afterward, police said Woods was not intoxicated or under the influence of drugs, but they nonetheless carried out a warrant to retrieve the car's black box.

The award-winning athlete has previously been involved in multiple vehicle accidents. Police in Florida once discovered him dozing off at the wheel of an awkwardly parked vehicle in May 2017. At the time, he was charged with DUI, which he pled guilty to, and was later taken to rehab.