Golf

The guy who played legendary movie golfer Shooter McGavin is PUMPED on the return of vintage Tiger Woods ... and says it's only a matter of time before he locks down his first Major in a decade!

We got "Happy Gilmore" villain Christopher McDonald leaving Craig's in L.A. ... and you can tell he's been keeping a close eye on Tiger's comeback tour -- including his near victory at the Valspar Championship.

"I am so happy for my man Tiger doin' it like he does," McDonald told TMZ Sports.

"It was so close, he could've won that last one. It was amazing."

As for Tiger having the juice to win one of the PGA's Major tourneys ... "HELL YES."

Still got it, Shooter. Still got it.

Golf legend Fred Couples says the old, dominant Tiger Woods is here to stay -- and he thinks it's FREAKIN' AWESOME.

"Oh, Tiger's back ... I love it," 58-year-old Fred told TMZ Sports at LAX. "I have a great opinion on Tiger."

You'd think Couples would be a little threatened by his resurgence ... but Fred's so happy to see vintage Tiger crushing the green, all he could do was gush about him.

Of course, we had to ask Couples the question on everyone's mind -- can Tiger end his Majors drought and collect his 5th green jacket?!

Golf star Bill Haas was completely disoriented when he called 911 following a fatal car crash involving the Ferrari he was a passenger in during the wreck.

TMZ obtained audio of the call Haas made immediately following last week's crash in Pacific Palisades, CA. The 71-year-old driver of the Ferrari was killed. The crash also involved Luke Wilson's car, although he was not injured.

In the audio, you can hear Haas say he's just been involved in a terrible head-on collision and the driver is trapped.

Tiger Woods is still going strong with reported GF Erica Herman -- judging by the fact they just had a fancy dinner date at the hottest sushi joint in L.A.

The two were spotted leaving Nobu in Malibu on Thursday evening -- hours after Tiger wrapped up his first round at the Genesis Open in the Pacific Palisades.

Tiger didn't hit great at the tourney -- yet still managed to finish his first round just 1 over par.

He didn't appear to be in the best mood on the way out of Nobu -- but at least the company was good!

Woods and Herman have been linked together since October -- when they were spotted together at the President's Cup.

Golf star Bill Haas -- a 6-time PGA tour winner -- was injured Tuesday night when a Ferrari he was a passenger in rolled over and crashed in Pacific Palisades, CA -- killing the driver.

Luke Wilson's car was involved in the wreck -- but he was not injured.

The crash occurred right near Riviera Country Club -- where O.J. Simpson famously used to golf back in the day (he was banned after the murders). In fact, he golfed there with a famous movie producer the morning of the killings.

35-year-old Haas was rushed to the hospital where he was treated for pain and swelling in his legs. He suffered no broken bones and is expected to make a full recovery.

The driver of the car is a 71-year-old man. Cops have not released his name or said why they believe the Ferrari crashed in the first place.

It's a bird! It's a plane! No ... it's the cops -- and they busted Elin Nordegren for hauling ass on a Florida highway!

Tiger Woods' ex-wife was popped doing 95 in a 65 in her 2015 Cadillac on February 4 -- but it wasn't your usual speeding stop.

Officials say Elin was spotted by a single-engine Cessna airplane operated by the Florida Highway Patrol which clocked her blazing down the freeway around 3 PM (late for a Super Bowl party, perhaps?).

The fine -- $356.

The streaker who busted onto the green at the Phoenix Open on Wednesday didn't just run around -- he TRIED really hard to pull off some naked breakdance moves ... and TMZ Sports has the footage.

The wannabe dancer is Adam Stalmach -- a 24-year-old idiot who somehow snuck onto the 17th fairway during the Pro-Am in front of hundreds of people ... and put on a naked show before cops rushed in and arrested him.

Shocker ... cops say he was probably wasted.

He's been charged with indecent exposure and two counts of disorderly conduct.

Also, he kept his socks on the entire time ... so technically, not a full streaker???

George Lopez is ditching his love affair with golf to stand in solidarity with DACA.

We got the comedian leaving the Laugh Factory Tuesday night in WeHo and asked him about Trump's first State of the Union address. GLo laughed it off, but then got serious about the DREAM Act -- which would allow undocumented children of immigrants to go to school, work and eventually become U.S. residents.

Seems like George had a few drinks before we got him, but it also seems like he's dead serious about the protest.

He's scheduled to host his 11th Annual Celebrity Golf Classic in May ... so, the clock's ticking.

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.