Why did Tiger Woods hand a tampon to Justin Thomas at the Genesis Invitational?
Tiger Woods has returned to competition at the Genesis Invitational, and a prank he played on his friend Justin Thomas did not go over well with golf fans.
Tiger Woods is back on the green competing at the Genesis Invitational being held this weekend at the Riviera Golf Course. The Genesis Open started on Thursday, Feb. 16, and will wrap up on Sunday, Feb. 19. It’s Woods’ first tournament since he played at The Open Championship in July of last year.
The golf legend outdrove former world number one Justin Thomas on the ninth hole, after which the 47-year-old discreetly handed his friend a tampon, which Thomas then threw to the ground.
Outdriving Thomas was likely significant to Woods, who has been battling injuries he suffered in a motor vehicle crash in 2021.
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Tiger faces the backlash
Woods’ prank did not go over well with viewers, who took to social media to express their disapproval. Handing Thomas a tampon after outplaying him on the ninth tee seemed to convey the message that his friend was ‘playing like a woman’. Many tweets communicated that Woods’ actions were childish, and that they perpetuated a misogynistic idea that implies women are weak.
The other end of the spectrum
And, as it usually is in social media, there are other users who hold the opposite view regarding the incident. They said that those who were offended by the prank did not have a sense of humor.