Tiger Woods was forced to apologise after controversial tampon incident at golf event

Tiger Woods was forced to apologise after he was involved in a controversial tampon incident at a golf event.

In 2023, Woods was playing in the first round of the Genesis International in California, alongside Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy.

Woods carded a two-under-par round of 69, including five birdies.

On the ninth hole, he outdrove Thomas, with the American then appearing to place something into his compatriot's hand as they walked towards the fairway.

Thomas quickly threw the item on the floor, before the pair laughed - with it later being revealed that the item was in fact a tampon.

There was a mixed reaction to the incident, with Woods facing significant criticism from some sections of social media as many claimed the joke simply 'wasn't funny'.

Karen Sugar, the CEO of the Women's Global Empowerment Fund, slammed the incident as 'misogynistic', 'tone deaf', and 'disrespectful to girls and women everywhere'.

Yes, Tiger Woods 100% handed Justin Thomas a tampon after he outdrove him. pic.twitter.com/VJbfldyXhw

— Busted Coverage (@bustedcoverage) February 17, 2023

Woods, an 82-time record-equalling PGA Tour winner, would later apologise over the incident.

Speaking after his second round of the same tournament, he told reporters: "Yeah, it was supposed to be all fun and games, and obviously it hasn't turned out that way.

"If I offended anybody, it was not the case. It was just friends having fun. 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 this way, but between us it's different."

Woods has recently been in the news for a variety of different reasons.

Earlier this month, he had surgery on a ruptured Achilles which could see him miss several months of competitive golf.

He hasn't competed in a PGA Tour event since July and was hoping to make a comeback at The Masters in Augusta - a tournament he automatically qualifies for as a previous winner.

However, those plans now look almost certain to be shelved.

Away from golf, the 49-year-old confirmed Sunday that he is in a relationship with Vanessa Trump, the former daughter-in-law of US President Donald Trump through her previous marriage to Donald Trump Jr.

Taking to Instagram, Woods posted a photo of the pair together and wrote: "Love is in the air and life is better with you by my side! We look forward to our journey through life together.

"At this time we would appreciate privacy for all those close to our hearts."