Tiger Woods Hands a Tampon to Justin Thomas in Apparent Joke During PGA Tournament

Kimberlee Speakman
·2 min read
9
Tiger Woods of the United States (L) and Justin Thomas of the United States walk off the ninth tee during the first round of the The Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on February 16, 2023 in Pacific Palisades, California.
Tiger Woods of the United States (L) and Justin Thomas of the United States walk off the ninth tee during the first round of the The Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on February 16, 2023 in Pacific Palisades, California.
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Cliff Hawkins/Getty

Tiger Woods marked his first golf tournament of the year with a strong showing, but an odd exchange he made with fellow player Justin Thomas had the internet buzzing.

The 15-time major champion, 47, outdrove Thomas in the ninth hole of the Genesis Open at Riviera Country Club, hitting 323 yards off his tee, while Thomas hit 313 yards, per CBS Sports.

After Thomas' drive, Woods walked by him and slid in his hand what appeared to be a tampon, which Thomas hastily threw down before the duo started laughing as they moved up the golf range.

Woods ultimately ended the first round tied for 27th place with two-under-par 69, while Thomas ended the night three-under-par. Four-time champion, Rory McIlroy ended four-under-par.

Tiger Woods of the United States and Justin Thomas of the United States walk across the ninth hole during the first round of the The Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on February 16, 2023 in Pacific Palisades, California.
Tiger Woods of the United States and Justin Thomas of the United States walk across the ninth hole during the first round of the The Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on February 16, 2023 in Pacific Palisades, California.

Cliff Hawkins/Getty

Speaking about getting to play the tournament with both Thomas and Mcllroy after the first round, Woods said in a press conference, per CNN: "It was nice that I had this unbelievable pairing, two great guys, two great friends."

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"It was a great round. The ebb and flow of needling each other, encouraging each other and telling stories," Woods added. "Because I hadn't been out here so I've missed some of the things that have transpired on Tour, which is kind of fun."

The event marks Woods' first tournament since The British Open Championship in July, where he missed the cut in the second round finishing just eight spots from the bottom of the leaderboard.

"I'm not retiring from the game," Woods told reporters after the tournament via ESPN. "But I don't know if I will be physically able to play back here again when it comes back around. I'll be able to play future British Opens, yes, but eight years' time, I doubt if I'll be competitive at this level."

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Woods, who had been recovering from serious leg injuries he sustained from a February 2021 car accident that left his pro golf career in doubt, also withdrew from the Hero World Challenge on Nov. 28 due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot, which he said was "making it difficult to walk."

Ahead of the tournament, he told reporters in December, per Yahoo Sports, "The goal is to play just the major championships and maybe one or two more. That's it."

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"I mean, that's physically, that's all I can do," he added.

"I like playing, I like competing," said Woods, "but unfortunately — I can hit the golf ball and hit whatever shot you want — I just can't walk."