Golf

A golfer in Australia is now in the market for a new driver ... 'cause a giant crab destroyed his on the course.

For real.

The crazy scene happened Down Under recently ... when a golfer stepped away from his bag for just a few moments and returned to find a massive robber crab hugging his clubs.

Video of the scene is wild -- you can see in the footage, the guys were stunned as the crab had its pinchers all over the golfer's TaylorMades.

"Hello, buddy!" One of the golfers said to the tiny beast. "What're you stealing?! What're you stealing?!"

Eventually, the men tried to shake the thing off the clubs ... but check out the clip, the crab wouldn't let go!

The crab ended up holding on so tightly, it snapped the shaft of the guy's driver. And, because nobody wanted to lose a digit, it also ended up stealing one of the club's headcovers too!!

"Just let him have it, mate," one of the golfer's said. "He's beaten us."

Making sure his O-linemen were happy for the holidays didn't come cheap for Kyler Murray ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the golf gifts he gave to his teammates this week cost $5K apiece!!!

The Arizona signal-caller shelled out the goodies to his personal protectors on Monday -- partnering with True Spec Golf to give them each a custom bag and custom clubs.

The package was sweet -- the bag featured every O-lineman's name and number and came complete with 13 total clubs -- including a driver, woods, hybrids, irons and wedges.

A rep for True Spec Golf tells us every players' clubs were properly fitted to them ... and in its entirety, the gift cost over $5,000 per bag.

Don't worry, the guys all appeared to love the presents from Murray ... smiling ear to ear while tagging balls at the True Spec Golf location in Scottsdale.

"It was a privilege to host Kyler Murray and his teammates at True Spec Golf," said the President of True Spec Golf, Ryan Richardson. "Similar to our everyday customers, some of the guys came in with years of experience and others were brand new to the game."

"It was great to show them how our data-driven, brand-agnostic approach at True Spec can improve anyone’s game regardless of skill level.”

At the moment, it's unclear if Murray -- who's previously gifted his O-linemen with scooters and paintings in the past -- will make this a yearly tradition, but we're told he will be coming back for a club fitting of his own following the season.

John Daly says after watching Tiger Woods' return to the course this weekend ... he's as confident as ever that the legend will break Jack Nicklaus' records after all.

The Big Cat has been hunting Jack's mark of 18 major victories for years ... but after his February car crash, most believed Woods wouldn't get the four more wins he needs to hold the title.

But, Daly says Woods' effort at the PNC Championship just 10 months after mangling his leg in a car wreck showed the dude will still likely get the victories required for the coveted record.

"Tiger's going to be fine," Daly said on "Fox & Friends" two days after he and his son held off Tiger and Charlie Woods for the PNC title.

"He looked good. He looked a little tired, but he still looked great. And, he'll be back. I can see it in his eyes. He's probably going to beat Jack Nicklaus' records and be the greatest of all time."

Daly and Tiger are pals ... but JD ain't blowing smoke -- Tiger did look outstanding in his golf comeback.

Even though he needed a cart to finish all 36 holes of the tourney, he and Charlie tore up the course, finishing the event in second place, just two strokes behind the Dalys.

It's unclear what Tiger's next tourney will be -- but at least participating in a major event in 2022 doesn't seem out of the question.

Tiger Woods is back to playing pro golf again -- this after his nasty car wreck -- and he's doing alongside none other than his own ... both of whom have some ground to gain.

Round one of the PNC Championship is underway Saturday at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Grande Lakes in Orlando, where TW and Charlie Woods joined forces anew to play in a little father-son competition among other golfers and their kids.

As you can imagine, the fanfare was at an all-time high for the Woods family ... as this marks the first time Tiger has played in an actual tourney of any kind since getting crumpled in his automobile accident in February ... which left his legs shattered.

For Tiger's tee-off, everybody's eyes were on him ... and he hit a pretty decent shot to kick things off, with one guy clearly excited behind him -- shouting, "Welcome back, Big Cat!"

From there, Charlie started getting into his groove as well ... looking like a chip off the old block as he teed off himself with a beautiful drive -- which his dad later sunk with a putt.

From the outset, they were looking pretty good as a team ... but at the moment, they're well behind. As it stands, Team Woods is tied for 13th place as they approach the 11th hole. There's 36 holes total that they'll get through between today and tomorrow, and they're just past the midway point for today's round.

Basically, they're playing from behind right now ... but they have a ways to go before the day's out -- and could easily pull ahead, especially if they play as well as they have been thus far. And, as most everyone knows by now, never count Tiger Woods out.

Bigger picture though -- Tiger is looking fantastic out there ... as is his boy.

It's pretty miraculous to see the guy out here after everything he's been through. He addressed that before hitting the links, writing ... "Although it's been a long and challenging year, I am very excited to close it out by competing in the @PNCchampionship with my son Charlie. I'm playing as a Dad and couldn't be more excited and proud."

As you well know by now, Tiger's been on a long road of recovery since his February crash ... but steadily, he's been rehabbing and getting back onto golf courses. The only question now is ... will he eventually feel good enough to hop back into a solo PGA tournament???

Tiger Woods appears to be fully back ... the golf legend hit the range Friday with his son, Charlie, and seemed to have no limitations as he gears up for his first tourney since his crash.

The two Woods' smacked balls for around 20 minutes in preparation for Friday's pro-am as well as Saturday's PNC Championship ... and Dad was showing no signs that he had just suffered a significant injury back in February.

Tiger hit both his irons and his woods with ease ... with the ball jumping off of his clubs on every swing.

Of course, Tiger was also in coach mode -- watching Charlie's swing intently in between his own hacks.

Woods and Charlie then teed it up for their pro-am round -- and Tiger looked good there too, blasting his driver around 280 yards.

Tiger and Charlie are slated to tee off at the big event in Orlando, Fla. on Saturday afternoon -- and it'll officially mark the first time Tiger has participated in a tournament since he mangled his leg in a February car crash in Los Angeles.

Woods has said he'll be very picky with his events from here -- vowing to never be a full-time golfer again -- but ya gotta imagine if things go well this weekend, The Masters in April 2022 is not out of the question.

NBA baller J.R. Smith is a star on the court, on the links AND in the classroom ... 'cause the champ just got his grades back for his first semester of college -- and he got a 4.0!!!

Smith -- who skipped college to go straight to the NBA in 2004 -- decided to revisit the opportunity to get an education and enroll at North Carolina A&T this past summer.

So far, he's been crushing it as a student ... announcing his grades are better than what most people even dream of.

"I can't even describe the feeling," Smith said on Tuesday. "I ain't even gon' lie to you, a lot of hard work went into that s***."

The 36-year-old former Cavs guard had originally enrolled at the prestigious HBCU with the intent of making it on the golf team ... but the sense of achievement he feels from his perfect GPA is deeper than anything he could have hoped.

"I ain't gon hold you, this s*** is a heavy one right here lifted, especially when you always hear about your disabilities and all this s*** that plays a part in why you can't think the way you want to, calculate s***, formulate s*** the way you want to."

Smith said he worked his ass off all day, every day to make it happen ... and all that hard work has paid off big time!!!

He was meme'd throughout his career for silly moments ... but now, he's getting the last laugh.

Tiger Woods is back ... the golf legend has just committed to playing again nearly 10 months after his car crash -- officially signing up for next week's PNC Championship with his son.

The event will take place beginning on Dec. 16 in Orlando, Florida ... and it's a huge deal -- considering it'll be the first time Woods has competed on the course since he horrifically broke his leg in a Feb. 23 car crash.

As we previously reported, Woods suffered comminuted open fractures in his right leg -- and he said last week the injuries were so bad, amputation was a very real possibility.

But, Tiger's made huge strides in his comeback -- swinging his golf clubs regularly ... and now, he clearly feels he's ready to compete in a tournament.

While the PNC Championship is certainly not the Masters -- it's still a 36-hole event that'll pit Tiger and his son, Charlie Woods, against some of the biggest names in golf -- including John Daly, Justin Thomas and Bubba Watson.

"Although it’s been a long and challenging year," Woods said of his impending return, "I am very excited to close it out by competing in the PNC Championship with my son Charlie. I'm playing as a Dad and couldn't be more excited and proud."

Tiger Woods says the only lift he was able to do following his horrific car crash earlier this year was bench press -- and he claims he hit it so hard, he was able to put up 255 pounds!!

The golf superstar made the revelation to Golf Digest this week ... saying in the weeks after he busted his leg in the infamous L.A. wreck back in February, all he could do to stay fit was get underneath iron and bounce it off his chest.

"I got to where I was doing like 250, 255," Woods said.

Of course, that's not exactly Aaron Donald or James Harrison numbers in the weight room ... but, remember, Tiger only weighs 185 pounds -- and he's 45 years old!

To give even more context to how impressive the feat is ... Woods -- who was notorious for his weight lifting back in his prime -- says the most he's ever been able to bench was 285.

Tiger, though, says his bench numbers have gone down now that he's gotten healthier ... explaining he's able to incorporate far more lifts into his routine, so the bench has taken a back seat.

"Now that I'm doing other things -- more functional stuff," Woods said, "I've gone away from benching."

Cuffing season is officially upon us -- golf star Collin Morikawa just popped the question to his gorgeous girlfriend, Katherine Zhu, this week ... and she said YES!!!

The 2-time major champ and the former Pepperdine golfer -- who have been together for years -- shared the news on Wednesday ... revealing they got engaged on November 30.

24-year-old Morikawa dropped to one knee right before the Hero World Challenge in The Bahamas, which kicks off Thursday.

"A lifetime together forever 🤍," Zhu posted on Instagram ... while Morikawa said, "My forever and ever, I love you."

The guy did a great job picking out the ring ... as Zhu was clearly excited to show it off in their first pic together as an engaged couple.

Of course, Morikawa has had a pretty remarkable start to his career ... racking up 5 PGA Tour wins since turning pro in 2019.

In fact, he made 22-straight cuts to kick off his career, which is only second to some guy named Tiger Woods.

A huge finish in this week's tournament could propel Morikawa to the top of the world golf rankings, as he currently sits at #2.

Tiger Woods might not be healthy enough to play a full round of golf -- but his leg is certainly feelin' good enough for him to bro down on the range with Bryson DeChambeau!!

TMZ Sports has obtained video of the two golf superstars goofin' around with a football on a practice course in the Bahamas on Wednesday afternoon ... and it ain't hard to see Woods is in great spirits.

Bryson was firing footballs off a tee box -- and Woods was loving it, dappin' up his golf buddy and then playing a little catch with him too.

At one point, Tiger put a little too much heat on a toss to Bryson ... and, yeah, watch the clip, DeChambeau needed a second to recover.

Of course, it's all just another good indication that Woods' life is turning back to normal just nine months after he nearly lost his leg in a violent car crash in Los Angeles.

As we reported, Woods has said several times this week that he's doing well -- and he is, in fact, trying to make a comeback to the PGA Tour.

But, Tiger noted there's still a long recovery process to go ... adding that he'll likely never be a full-time pro again due to everything his body's gone through.

Tiger Woods would not revisit his infamous car crash with reporters on Tuesday ... saying he believes all of his memories of the wreck and all of the intricate details of it have already been discussed.

"All those answers have been answered in the investigation," said Woods, who addressed a room full of media members for the first time since the February accident.

"So, you can read about all of that there, in the police report."

It's been over 9 months since Woods suffered comminuted open fractures to his right leg in a horrific Feb. 23 car crash near Los Angeles -- and even though a detailed police report has been publicly released, there are still many questions that remain.

Tiger, though, clearly wanted no part of shedding light on those while on the podium in the Bahamas at the Hero World Challenge ... adding that he does not have flashbacks to the terrifying scene.

"I don't, no," Woods said. "I'm very lucky in that way."

As we previously reported, cops say the violent crash was all caused by Woods' speed -- saying they believe the golfer was going over 80 MPH in a 45 MPH zone just before the accident.

Cops say they do not believe Woods was under the influence of alcohol or drugs -- saying in the report he exhibited no signs of impairment. They also said there were no open alcohol containers in the vehicle, no odors of booze and no prescription pills found at the scene.

In the report, cops also say video showed Tiger moving well and appearing to be completely coherent as he left his hotel minutes before the crash.

The days of seeing Tiger Woods on the PGA Tour every week are almost certainly over ... the golf legend just revealed he doesn't have plans to return to being a full-time golfer again in the wake of his February car crash.

"It's an unfortunate reality," Woods told Golf Digest on Monday in his first interview since the infamous wreck earlier this year. "But, it's my reality. And, I understand it, and I accept it."

Woods spoke for about 45 minutes on his rehab process and his future plans with golf ... and he said while a comeback is in the cards -- he says there's just likely no way the old Tiger's schedule will ever be seen again.

"I think something that is realistic is playing the Tour one day -- never full-time ever again -- but pick and choose, just like Mr. [Ben] Hogan did," Woods said. "You pick and choose a few events a year and you play around that."

"You practice around it, and you gear yourself up for it. I think that's how I'm going to have to play it from now on."

Woods said his recovery process has been brutal, revealing he was bed-ridden for over three months following the Feb. 23 accident.

Tiger also revealed the initial moments after the crash were beyond nerve-racking -- saying he was legitimately concerned doctors were going to have to amputate his right leg.

"I wouldn't say it was 50/50," said Woods, who suffered comminuted open fractures in his leg in the crash. "But, it was damn near there if I was going to walk out of that hospital with one leg."

Woods, though, has miraculously begun playing golf again ... saying he's been out hitting shots with his son, Charlie, and getting better and better daily.

But, Tiger was adamant a true comeback just likely will not happen.

"After my back fusion, for me, I had to prove it to myself -- I had to climb Mount Everest one more time," Woods said. "I had to do it, and I did it. This time around, I don't think I'll have the body to climb Mount Everest, and that's OK."

"But, I can participate in the game of golf. I can still, maybe if my leg gets good enough, maybe [I can] click off a tournament here or there."

Lee Elder -- the first-ever Black golfer to compete in the Masters Tournament -- has died, PGA Tour officials announced Monday. He was 87 years old.

No cause of death has been revealed.

Elder was an absolute icon on the golf course -- he famously broke The Masters' color barrier back in 1975, paving the way for generations of future Black golfers.

Elder went on to play in the legendary tournament several more times in his career -- logging his best finish at the event in 1979, when he tied for 17th place.

Elder was eventually honored by The Masters this year ... when he took part in April's opening ceremonies with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.

Elder received a huge ovation from the crowd as an honorary starter -- and images of him smiling alongside Nicklaus and Player have already been etched into history books.

Star athletes and competitive golfers like Tiger Woods and Steph Curry have praised Elder for years -- with Curry shouting Elder out in a video message before this year's Masters event.

"I want to say thank you so much for your life's work," Curry said in the video message, "for your legacy, for your inspiration, and blazing a path and overcoming so many obstacles to open up the game of golf for those that deserve to play and for the underrepresented."

Elder won four tournaments in his PGA Tour career -- and carded seven total Top 25 finishes at major events as well.

Travis Scott is finally venturing out of his Houston home after the Astroworld tragedy ... flying to SoCal to golf with some A-list friends and spend the holiday weekend with family.

Travis hit the links this week with Michael Jordan, Mark Wahlberg, Kris Jenner's BF, Corey Gamble and actor Said Taghmaoui.

Witnesses spotted the famous group Tuesday on the course attached to the gated Palm Springs-area community where Kris has a home.

Travis still looked pretty somber in some shots taken while they were chilling off the course. The outing marks the first time the rapper's been seen out in public since 10 people were killed and hundreds injured during his Nov. 5 festival in Houston.

He had been laying low at his home in the Houston area for several weeks, devastated by what went down during the concert.

As we've reported ... Travis, Live Nation, Apple and several other organizers have been hit with multiple lawsuits since then. Most notably, one for $750 million and another for a whopping $2 billion.

His attorney, Ed McPherson, told us Travis was unaware of the scope of casualties during his performance ... and didn't learn of it until several hours after the show. Travis has vowed to pay all funeral expenses for the Astroworld victims.

Tiger Woods has resumed swinging a golf club again ... the legendary ball-striker just posted a video of the incredible feat, and he looks GOOD.

The 45-year-old -- who badly injured his right leg in a car crash back in February -- showed the footage on Sunday morning ... revealing he's been cleared to swing his irons again.

In the clip, Tiger can be seen hitting a ball at far less than 100 percent of his normal, pre-crash swing ... but the strike is still clean and the ball still traveled far nonetheless.

It should be noted, Tiger's divot pattern on the ground suggests he took a BUNCH of swings during the session ... and it seems he was planning to take even more given the number of range balls left in his basket.

It's all an amazing sight for Tiger and golf fans -- particularly considering how Woods looked while walking into a hotel in Los Angeles just days ago.

Tiger was spotted sporting a noticeable limp ... and many wondered how it'd possible for him to swing a club again given how gingerly he was moving.

Tiger Woods has ditched the crutches and the walking aids ... but the golf superstar still has a noticeable limp in his gait -- new video shows.

Woods was spotted arriving at a hotel in Los Angeles on Sunday night ... and you can see in footage, his surgically repaired leg is still clearly far from 100 percent.

Woods walked gingerly as he headed out of his car and upstairs into the L.A. venue ... all while his leg was still encased in a compression sleeve.

As we previously reported, Woods seriously injured his right leg in a car crash in the Los Angeles area back on Feb. 23 -- and needed a rod, screws and pins to repair the damage.

Woods has made slow and steady progress since the surgery -- using crutches for months, before eventually putting his full body weight on the leg recently.

Tiger has been seen walking around golf courses following his son, Charlie ... though it's unclear if Woods has even remotely attempted a swing since the accident.