Tiger Woods suffered one of the most embarrassing moments of his golf career in a yardage miscommunication with his caddy. The mishap occurred during his team’s 10-3 defeat to New York Golf Club at the TGL.
The ‘Tomorrow’s Golf League’ (TGL) was founded by Woods, Mike McCarley, and Rory McIlroy but the defeat of Woods’ Jupiter Links GC team has seen them drop to 8/1 outsiders to win the TGL, with New York Golf Club jumping up to 7/2 second favourite according to the top UK bookmakers and a list of betting sites not on Gamstop.
Of course, odds will change between operators and the wide selection of markets available at sites not on Gamstop can provide bettors with other betting markets that they might be interested in. As things stand, the loss leaves Woods’ team as rank outsiders, and his embarrassing blunder will not have helped.
The mix-up occurred on the 13th hole when he was 199 yards from the hole following his tee shot. However, when he asked his caddie he was told ’99’ as it is common for caddies to drop the first number when it is obvious. However, Woods heard 99 and went with it, selecting a wedge to hit his shot which left him 100 yards from the hole.
Luckily, his teammates Kim and Kisner saw the funny side and were seen laughing as Woods sought the caddie. Woods went on to admit that the mistake was his and that it was one of the most embarrassing moments from his long and illustrious career.
Woods’s ability to laugh off the mistake showed great character from the golf star who was making his first appearance since it was announced that he had lost his mother Kultida Woods who passed away on February 4th. The 80-year-old passed away after seeing Tiger Woods compete in the TGL league, prompting him to drop out of the Genesis Invitational event.
When put into this context, it is a lot easier to understand how an 82-time PGA TOUR winner could have made such a mistake with more pressing matters on his mind.
The decision to take a step back from the pressures of competitive fixtures saw Woods miss out on the PGA Mexico Open. Experts believe the most likely return could be in April at The Masters, having been out of competitive action since July 2024’s Open Championship.
His recovery from back surgery in September of last year has been a slow process, after suffering from nerve impingement to the lower back. He has taken his time getting back to full fitness to ensure he didn’t suffer any setbacks. His attendance at the TGL has helped him regain manoeuvrability and he should be on course to return to his target of playing one tournament a month.
The mental strength required to compete at the top level would be a big ask so soon after the passing of his mother, but he should be physically fit when the time comes for his return.
