Golf

8:29 AM PT -- Pettersen is now claiming the Norwegian news outlet twisted her words from the interview ... and claims she NEVER called Trump a cheater.

"Sometimes you do interviews and media will twist whatever word/ saying to make a headline! It’s shocking to see... this is what I would call #fakenews."

She added, "Why would I call someone a cheat ... never!"

So far, the Norwegian outlet has NOT changed their article.

Donald Trump is being called out (kinda) by one of the best golfers on the planet -- who says POTUS "cheats like hell" every time they golf ... but insists she's got nothing but love for the guy.

Suzann Pettersen is a 15-time LPGA Tour champ -- she's a legend -- and she's been golfing with Trump for years.

So, when she sat down with the Norwegian newspaper, Verdens Gang, they wanted to know what Trump was like in real life.

"I’ve got to know Trump so well that I don’t take everything he says literally," Pettersen says ... "Yeah, you’ll never meet another person who loves himself as much as he does, but I have also met him on another level altogether, before he was president. I know how much he cares."

"He called me once a month and asked how things were going. It was always about golf. He is totally golf-crazed. Golf is the only thing the man thinks about."

So, how's Trump on the golf course?

"He cheats like hell," Pettersen said laughing ... "So I don’t quite know how he is in business."

"They say that if you cheat at golf, you cheat at business. I’m pretty sure he pays his caddie well, since no matter how far into the woods he hits the ball, it’s in the middle of the fairway when we get there."

"He always says he is the world’s best putter. But in all the times I’ve played him, he’s never come close to breaking 80."

"But what’s strange is that every time I talk to him he says he just golfed a 69, or that he set a new course record or won a club championship some place,."

Lookin' for a place to pee? Try Chris Paul's brand new Houston-area mansion ... 'cause the dude has enough bathrooms to handle a small army!!!

TMZ Sports has learned the NBA superstar purchased an 18,717 square foot estate in Spring, Texas -- 30 miles from the Toyota Center where the Houston Rockets play.

Paul had been eyeing the mega-mansion for a while but finally closed on the place in October. It was originally listed for $8 MILLION ... but we're told CP3 got a good deal on it.

Besides the 14 toilets ... the home has 9 bedrooms, a 6-car garage and is on an exclusive Jack Nicklaus designed golf course. Don't worry, we're told the home is in a private gated community.

Paul has reportedly made more than $186 million in his NBA career -- so ... this ain't nothing for him.

#ItsGoodToBeRich

You didn't forget about Rachel Uchitel did you? We didn't.

The smokeshow who was famously connected with Tiger Woods during the whole cheating scandal hit up Palm Beach for some Winter sun ... and put her butt selfie skills on display.

By the way, Uchitel is about to turn 43 ... and she's straight FIRE!!!!

Rachel is out of the Vegas nightlife biz these days -- she's now running a childrens clothing boutique in NYC ... but she's damn ... is it too late to become a bikini model????

Kenny G says Donald Trump's got some legit golf skills ... but in a 1-on-1 matchup on the green, it'd be GAME OVER for POTUS.

Here's the deal -- Kenny's been tearin' it up on PGA's celebrity circuit for years ... putting in work against the cream of the crop, including 45.

So, when we spotted the jazz legend at LAX, we had to ask if he had the edge on Trump after seeing him tee off up close and personal.

"I'm better!" Kenny told TMZ Sports ... adding that, "I don't run the country."

Michael Bolton is PUMPED on the Tiger Woods comeback tour -- and says he's down to hit the links with Tiger ... as his caddie!

FYI, Bolton's been tearin' it up on the celeb golf circuit for years ... and giving Woods words of encouragement whenever they cross paths.

"Every time I see him, I tell him, 'Just win.' And he says, 'I'm trying,'" Michael told TMZ Sports.

So now that Tiger's crushin' it on the green again, we had to ask if the pop rock legend had any plans to tee off with him.

Bolton seemed a little intimidated by going toe-2-toe, BUT -- "I'd carry his bag."

Alexi Lalas ain't hoppin' on the Tiger Woods comeback bandwagon just yet ... 'cause the U.S. soccer legend says we'll NEVER see Tiger return to his old dominant form.

TMZ Sports spoke with Lalas about Woods' impressive outing in his first tournament in almost a year ... and despite being only 3 strokes back from the lead after one round at the Hero World Challenge, Lalas wants to bring everyone back to Earth.

"He'll be a different type of Tiger Woods. And he'll have moments of brilliance that'll remind us of what he was, but I think his back injury ... that's difficult to come back for anybody."

Billy Bush clearly didn't hear the "FORE!!" on the green ... 'cause he was struck by a golf ball that sent him to the hospital.

Bush posted a few pics Monday of his hospital visit at Cedars-Sinai in L.A. where he was treated for what appears to be a head injury. Unclear when exactly this happened, but from the looks of one of these photos ... he got jacked up good.

The ex "Today" show co-host captioned his post ... "FORE!! Thanks nurse Katrina, jovi, Jenn, Mercy @cedarsinai for the bed, the care, the ice. I think I dodged a bullet...but sadly not a golf ball. Scan is clear, let the jokes begin."

Although Billy says everything was fine, it looks like he changed out of his shirt during his stay ... which makes us wonder if he was there overnight.

Tiger Woods was calm, cool and collected in court, even cracking a smile on his way out after pleading guilty at his DUI hearing in Florida.

The golf legend agreed to enter a DUI diversion program at a hearing that lasted about 10 minutes. He'll also be on probation for 12 months and he must perform 50 hours of community service. The judge was adamant -- the deal means no jail time but he could face up to 90 days in jail if he's found to violate parole.

Tiger was arrested for DUI on May 29 in Jupiter, FL after cops found him asleep at the wheel of his 2015 Mercedes. Once he awoke, Tiger was a discombobulated mess and claimed he was all jacked up from a cocktail of Rx drugs.

Tiger's car had damage and it was clear he was in no shape to be behind the wheel of a car. He was initially charged with 3 misdemeanor counts -- DUI, reckless driving and improper stopping.

If Tiger completes his DUI diversion program, DUI education classes and stays out of trouble for 12 months ... the reckless driving conviction will be wiped from his record.

As part of the diversion program, Tiger is prohibited from drinking alcohol or taking drugs during the probation period.

Tiger has since apologized for the arrest -- saying he didn't know his prescription meds would have such a strong reaction. He also went to rehab.

One of Tiger Woods' biggest rivals on the links thinks the golf superstar can still chase Jack Nicklaus' 18 majors ... telling TMZ Sports he believes "everyone" is pulling for him to make a HUGE comeback.

Vijay Singh -- the world's top-ranked golfer for several weeks in '04-'05 -- says now that Tiger's cleared to practice after having back surgery 6 months ago, he's not counting out a big return.

For the record ... Tiger's sitting at 14 majors, which is 2nd only to the Golden Bear.

Didn't take long for O.J. Simpson to reach out to his old NFL pals -- he called Eric Dickerson THE NIGHT he was released from prison ... this according to the Hall of Famer himself.

"He's good. He's really good," Dickerson told TMZ Sports ... "He's trying to get me to hang out with him."

Dickerson and Simpson were pretty tight before O.J. got locked up and have remained friendly throughout the years.

NFL legend Ronnie Lott -- along with several huge sports stars -- was evacuated from a hotel in Sonoma, CA minutes before it was engulfed in flames ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Lott, Byron Scott, Bret Saberhagen, Dan Jansen and more were all in town for the UCSF Medical Center Celebrity Golf Classic ... when the raging fires in Northern California began to spread in their direction.

The majority of the VIP guests were staying at the Fountaingrove Inn in Santa Rosa -- and when the flames began to get close, officials ordered the hotel to evacuate the guests.

We're told all of the celebrities made it out of the hotel -- including Lott who posed for a photo in the parking lot of the hotel with a friend, his wife, Karen (brunette) and ex-MLB star Saberhagen.

It's a good thing they got out when they did ... the hotel caught fire and burned down a short time later, a UCSF spokesperson confirmed to TMZ Sports.

A witness at the hotel tells us the situation escalated so quickly, one guest jumped out of the hotel window and suffered a broken arm trying to escape.

The tournament has been scrapped -- and some of the guests have already returned home ... including Byron Scott who arrived to LAX early Monday morning.

O.J. Simpson's getting the friendly neighborhood treatment in the Vegas community where he's shacking up, and it should stay that way ... unless a media circus spoils it.

Several homeowners in the area where Simpson's hanging out tell TMZ ... they have no problem with him being there as long as media presence in the 'hood doesn't get crazy. We're told restaurants and other business establishments nearby don't care if O.J. pops in ... and one restaurant owner says he'll gladly serve him a steak, just like anyone else.

As for Simpson's favorite hobby, golf ... our golf course sources tell us he's welcome everywhere within driving distance. We couldn't find any course enforcing an O.J. ban, and one golf course staffer told us they might even invite Simpson to participate in a tournament.

As we reported ... O.J.'s staying in a sprawling Las Vegas estate in a gated community, right next to a golf course.

O.J. Simpson has served his time and has every right to be out on a golf course, so says PGA legend Gary Player who says he'd definitely play 18 with The Juice.

"He served his term," Player told us at LAX ... "When a man has served his term, he must be forgiven. He must go ahead now and live his life."

The 81-year-old hall of famer also doesn't understand why people have been blowing off golf outings with President Donald Trump ... saying golf should NOT be about political views.

Is Tiger Woods banging the general manager of his Florida restaurant?

Sure looks like it ... especially after the way they cozied up together this weekend at the President's Cup.

Tiger was arm-in-arm with Erica Herman, who was ID'd on TigerWoods.com as the GM of The Woods, which touts itself as "Tiger's flagship restaurant" in Jupiter.

Plus, Herman was sporting a "player spouse" credential on the links, according to Golf.com.

The last time Woods commented on a relationship is back in August when he shot down reports he was dating Kristin Smith -- a woman he dated in 2016.

So far, Woods has yet to confirm he and Herman are "official" -- but c'mon.

Nothing says "You Can't Sit With Us" like Donald Trump's 3 predecessors crashing the Presidents Cup to watch the first tee shots -- sans the current Prez ... who loves golf.

Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton attended the trophy presentation together Thursday at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey, before the foursome matches kicked off between America and its international competition.

The ex-Presidents looked super chummy, greeting the crowd and shaking hands. The irony, of course, is Prez Trump is a big-time golfer, and even has a golf course just 40 miles away from where the ex-Presidents were chilling.

Then again, Trump has bigger things to worry about now -- while these guys have done their duty already.

O.J. Simpson's salivating over getting back into the swing of things after prison ... and yes, that includes golf. LOTS of golf.

O.J.'s lawyer, Malcolm LaVergne, tells TMZ ... Juice, for starters, has narrowed down around 5 potential residences of where he might live in Florida following his prison release. He'll have to submit a parole plan on exactly where he'll live, so he's still mulling it over.

As for who owns the homes ... not his 2 kids. LaVergne says there's no rift between O.J. and his children, but he doesn't want to impose and draw unwanted attention to them. So the people who own the homes, LaVergne says, are "wealthy and supportive friends."

One pad might be out the window because LaVergne tells us it got hit hard by Hurricane Irma.

Once settled, we're told O.J. plans to get back into shape so he can golf as often as he wants. As LaVergne put it, the man loves to golf but wants to lay low. Good luck with that.