Snoop Dogg made controversial comment about golf and Tiger Woods after being ambushed by reporter

Snoop Dogg emerged as a surprise candidate to be one of the most prominent faces in sport last year.

The rap icon was regularly spotted cheering on Team USA at the Olympics in Paris last summer and the 53-year-old music megastar played alongside longtime collaborator Dr Dre during a closing ceremony that looked ahead to the next edition of the Games in Los Angeles, close to his home city of Long Beach, California.

Snoop was also seen during the second season of Netflix reality series Sprint, which followed the fortunes of some of the top 100m and 200m athletes at the Olympics, including double medalist Noah Lyles.

But Snoop – whose real name is Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr – has been a keen observer of sports for decades. He is an avid fan of the Los Angeles Lakers, for example, and back in 2016 he voiced a strong opinion on the state of golf and its biggest star, Tiger Woods.

Snoop Dogg wants to get involved with the NHL. Image: Alamy

"It's a beautiful thing that Tiger Woods is coming back," Snoop told TMZ of his 'close friend' Tiger, who'd battled injuries and personal issues over the previous few years. "Because the sport of golf is garbage without him.

"Nobody watches it, the ratings went down, it ain't as fly as it used to be," Snoop continued. "He was the flavour. He was the seasoning salt. It's just like some Shake 'n Bake chicken now. You understand me?"

Woods has been in the news recently, too, due to his relationship with Vanessa Trump, the former daughter-in-law of US president Donald Trump.

The golf icon recently went public about the relationship via an instagram post, and Snoop caught fans' attention with his reply to Woods' personal announcement.

Woods was also at the White House last month, where he was invited by the 45th and 47th president to speak as part of the Trump administration's efforts to mark Black History Month.

Where other prominent American athletes have used their platforms to criticise Trump, Woods has always refused to do so, instead insisting he respects anyone who occupies the highest office of US government.