Golf

Next on the tee ... John Smoltz?!?

The MLB legend is hoping to hear that a whole lot at PGA TOUR Champions events in the very near future ... telling TMZ Sports he wants to compete on the senior golf circuit as soon as he gets his ailing hip surgically repaired.

The 55-year-old didn't mince words when talking about his golf goals with us earlier this year ... explaining that the first time he tried to find success on the PGA Tour Champions, he was just simply too hurt to make a real run.

Now, though, he says he's already got one of his hips redone -- and he's hoping when he gets the other one fixed ... it could lead to serious success.

"I've got a new hip, I've got one more hip to do, and then after that," he said, "I want to see what my competitive juices take me to."

Hip pain or not, Smoltz is already considered one of the best celeb golfers on the planet. The former Atlanta Braves closer has competed alongside pros regularly ... and won before.

In fact, Tiger Woods said just a few months ago that Smoltz and Tony Romo were the two best non-pros he's played with.

If John doesn't get healthy enough to compete on the PGA TOUR Champions ... he tells us, don't worry, he'll still find some way to get into competitive tourneys.

Golf superstar Paige Spiranac went balls-out for a new advertising campaign -- completely ditching her clothes and jumping into a bathtub full of product to promote new golf balls!!

The viral sensation -- who boasts a whopping 3.7 million followers on Instagram -- showed off the steamy ad on her page on Tuesday ... simply captioning the post, "Got balls?"

As it turns out, the photo shoot was in collaboration with L.A. Golf, which just dropped its newest batch of balls.

The pics pay homage to former LPGA star Jan Stephenson, who famously posed nude in a tub of balls back in the '80s, which was pretty controversial at the time.

"Took inspiration from the legend herself!" Paige said. "We are working on something special to honor her. I love to recreate images from women who have inspired me and also give credit where it is due. Jan is the OG."

Spiranac shot to fame over the past few years for her golf/modeling content ... and was even named Maxim's World's Sexiest Woman in January 2022.

Before that, she posed for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue!!

Tiger Woods has pulled out of the Masters before the third round gets underway Sunday, and it all seems to go back to that car crash.

Tiger was struggling big time Saturday at the Augusta National Golf Club ... clearly limping as he traversed the course in horrendous weather. He was 9 over and 6 over for the second round when officials pulled the plug because of weather conditions.

Tiger said Sunday AM ... "I am disappointed to have to WD this morning due to reaggravating my plantar fasciitis. Thank you to the fans and to @TheMasters who have shown me so much love and support. Good luck to the players today!"

As you know, the golfing legend was in a horrific car crash in February, 2021 ... doctors weren't sure they could save his leg. But Tiger rebounded and has played in several major tournaments since.

Donald Trump is doing what he tends to do best in times of crisis -- hitting the links to blow off some steam ... with this weekend being no different for him amid his criminal case.

The ex-Prez was playing a round Saturday morning at his hotel in Miami ... the Trump National Doral, which has four full-blown golf courses to choose from. Unclear which one DT was on in this instance, but he was out there with some pals ... and his MAGA hat to boot.

Dude looks pretty relaxed ... which makes sense, we suppose. This is sorta his happy place, even during the worst of times -- as we've witnessed throughout these past several years.

The only difference now, of course, is that he's under criminal prosecution by the Manhattan D.A.'s Office on 34 felony counts -- most of which stem from the Stormy Daniels hush money incident ... which law enforcement now alleges was directed to be paid at the behest of DT.

He's looked/sounded defiant in the wake of those charges -- especially when he was in NYC this past week to plead not guilty and get processed by cops ... putting on a brave face.

Here, the Don's more mellow, it seems, and there's another thing to consider with this appearance -- namely, the fact that it's Passover right now for Jewish folks ... and not just that, but his hotel there is actually hosting a whole slate of Passover events this weekend.

Terrifying moment at the Masters on Friday ... two huge pine trees fell near the 17th tee at the famed Augusta National golf course -- nearly crushing spectators.

It all went down just minutes ago during the second round of the prestigious golf tournament in Georgia ... as Sergio Garcia was stalking a putt on a nearby green.

You can see in video of the tourney's broadcast, the trees came down quickly ... sending fans scurrying away to avoid being crushed.

Thankfully, according to Masters officials, no one was injured ... a small miracle considering the sheer amount of people who attended the event Friday.

Play was suspended as workers used chainsaws to clear the debris from the course. Masters officials later called off the second round, saying golfers will need to finish on Saturday morning before beginning their rounds.

Justin Thomas got REALLY close with one of his biggest admirers at the Valspar Championship over the weekend ... when he signed a female fan's boob -- and it was all caught on video!!!

The hilarious moment went down as social media influencer/OnlyFans model Karin Hart attended the event in Florida ... when she explained on her Instagram story she wanted the two-time major championship winner to autograph her chest.

Hart's big opportunity came about an hour later when JT was signing items for fans ... and she pleaded with the golf star to fulfill her wish.

"Yeah, baby, come on ... sign it, sign it!" Hart said with a big smile on her face. As it turns out, JT was down to grant her wish ... 'cause after some initial hesitation and laughter, he signed her chest!!! (By the looks of it, this may have been a first for JT).

Hart was over the moon about the interaction ... later saying it made her year.

Tiger Woods claims Erica Herman is no victim of sexual abuse ... saying in new court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, she's simply "a jilted ex-girlfriend."

Woods filed the docs on Monday morning ... in response to Herman saying a non-disclosure agreement she had with the golfing legend should be declared unenforceable under the federal Speak Out Act, which allows someone to get around an NDA if a dispute involving sexual assault or sexual harassment arises following the initial agreement.

Woods says in the docs Herman has no right to invoke the federal statute ... because she's never alleged in her filings Woods committed any sexual wrongdoing.

In fact, Woods says in the $30 million lawsuit she filed -- the one where she alleged Woods booted her from their home and broke an "oral tenancy agreement" they had -- she checked the box for "NO" when asked "does this case involve allegations of sexual abuse."

Woods claims Herman is just using the law as a way to litigate her claims publicly in court -- and get around the NDA that was supposed to force her disputes to be heard in a private arbitration hearing.

"Ms. Herman's position is utterly meritless," Woods says in the docs ... before adding, "It is a transparent abuse of the judicial process that undermines the purpose of the federal statute and those whom the statute seeks to protect."

Woods is now asking a Florida court to force her to abide by the NDA's arbitration provisions.

As we reported, Woods split with Herman in October after around six years of dating. He claims he told her he was ending things with her, and that she was "no longer welcome" in his home. He said he did provide her with temporary housing and financial support following the breakup.

Herman, meanwhile, alleges Woods concocted a scheme to get her out of the house by promising her a "short vacation." When she got to the airport for the trip, she says Tiger's team told her she'd been "locked out" of the house and could not go back. She said it all violated an agreement they had, which was supposed to last five more years.

Tiger Woods is a single man ... and the oddsmakers are taking bets on who he'll date when he goes back on the prowl -- with Tom Brady's ex-wife Gisele Bündchen being the favorite to be his next partner.

Tiger called things off with Erica Herman late last year ... and their split has been nasty -- with his girlfriend of six years filing a $30 million lawsuit over how things ended.

BetOnline is wasting no time looking into the future ... throwing out odds for who Woods will date next -- and there are a ton of interesting names on the list.

Gisele comes in on top at +2500, which means the oddsmakers think there's an outside chance she moves from one G.O.A.T. to another ... and Kim Kardashian is right behind at +3500.

Shakira -- who recently went through her own rough breakup with Gerard Piqué -- is listed at +5000 if she decides to give it a shot with another athlete.

There seems to be a bit of a "messy breakup" trend here ... as Amber Heard is also an option at +15000.

Golf influencer and model Paige Spiranac also made the cut ... coming in at +25000.

And for Ss and Gs, there are a few adult film actresses like Mia Khalifa, Lana Rhoades, Riley Reid and Mia Malkova on the list ... and their odds are set at +50000, which are surprisingly the same as Tiger's ex, Lindsey Vonn.

Good news, bad news for Jordan Spieth at the Players Championship on Friday -- bad news: his tee shot was so off target, it hit a spectator. Good news: the accidental contact knocked the ball back onto the fairway -- avoiding landing in the drink!!

The wild moment went down on the 9th hole at TPC Sawgrass ... when a struggling Spieth's drive headed straight for the water.

Luckily for Spieth -- and unluckily for the fan -- the ball drilled the attendee right in the knee ... and it ricocheted back onto the fairway with a perfect bounce.

Here's where it gets even crazier -- Spieth was on the verge of missing the cut on the final hole ... and a bogey or worse could've sunk him.

As it turns out, the ball's landing spot helped the star finish the hole with an eagle -- leaving him comfortably inside of the cut line.

The story has an even happier ending, as Spieth gave the fan his glove as an apology/thank you gift.

Spieth finished the round +3 ... and is even through two days of competition.

Tiger Woods' split from his ex-girlfriend is way nastier -- and potentially more expensive for him -- than we thought ... TMZ Sports has learned she's suing him for $30 million, claiming he cooked up a scheme to toss her out of their home.

According to docs we've obtained, Erica Herman and Tiger actually broke up last fall. The then-couple had been living together in his Hobe Sound, FL home for 6 years, during which time Erica says she performed "valuable services" for Tiger in exchange for living there rent-free.

She admits she doesn't have that in writing, but refers to an "oral tenancy agreement," which was supposed to last 5 more years after their split.

About that breakup ... Erica claims Tiger's people convinced her to pack a suitcase last fall for a "short vacation" -- without Tiger -- and drove her to the airport. Once they arrived at the airport, she was told she'd been "locked out" of the house and could not go back.

In the docs, Erica alleges one of Tiger's lawyers even met her at the airport with a proposal to resolve any outstanding issues between Tiger and her. She also claims they confiscated more than $40K in cash she had at the house, and accused her of doing something shady to get the money.

She's suing Tiger's trust -- the titleholder on the house -- for $30 mil because she claims that's the "reasonable rental value" of Tiger's house for the 5 remaining years on their oral agreement.

Tiger's trust filed docs in response to the suit, and said Tiger had broken up with her and asked her to leave the home, which he shares with his 2 children. The trust denies there was ever any oral agreement about her living in the home ... instead, Tiger's team says she was only there as his girlfriend.

Basically, once the relationship ended ... so did her right to live there.

Tiger Woods' latest girlfriend of about 6 years is taking the golf legend to court over an NDA she claims he made her sign ... and she's citing a law that prohibits NDAs when there's evidence of sexual assault or harassment.

Erica Herman filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, which spell her grievances out clear as day ... namely, she alleges TW made her sign an NDA at the start of their relationship -- around August 2017, according to her -- which she now says is being wrongfully enforced on her.

In the paperwork, Herman says a private trust that Tiger runs is attempting to steamroll her into keeping quiet about their relationship by aggressively enforcing the NDA she signed.

She argues in her legal docs the NDA should be declared unenforceable under the federal Speak Out Act, which prohibits the enforceability of an NDA agreed to before a dispute arises involving sexual assault or sexual harassment.

By the sounds of it ... she and Tiger are no longer together, but she doesn't specify when they broke up. Publicly, there's been no sign of a split -- although, we haven't quite seen Herman and Tiger together for a while now, even at his latest golf outing a few weeks ago.

In any case, Herman says she's seeking clarity from the court here ... because, according to her, she's eager to share her experiences with Tiger. She wants a judge to declare the NDA invalid and unenforceable.

John Daly proved once again he's always the life of any party -- the golf legend hopped on the mic and showed off his singing skills at an event with Johnny Damon ... and the performance was impressive!!

It all went down at Damon's Celebrity Golf Classic Sunday at the Reunion Resort Club in Kissimmee, FL ... and Daly provided plenty of entertainment for the star-studded guest list as he had a cigarette and beer in his hand.

Ken Griffey Jr., Alonzo Mourning, CC Sabathia, Plaxico Burress, and a slew of other high-profile names were in attendance for the bash ... but 56-year-old Daly was the MVP when he sang Bob Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door."

"Momma I'm still knockin'," Daly said after concluding his performance. He added, "I love y'all."

TMZ's very own Mojo Muhtadi was also present for the event ... dancing with his wife as Daly and Damon sang Garth Brooks' "Friends In Low Places."

Of course, this isn't Daly's first rodeo with singing ... in fact, the pro golfer's karaoke sessions have become a staple over the years.

Daly's larger-than-life personality always shines through in these moments ... and Damon's bash was no different.

Tiger Woods is being called out by a women's empowerment group for his tampon prank at a PGA Tour event ... saying how dare he, especially with a daughter at home.

Kara Sugar, CEO of the Women's Global Empowerment Fund, tells TMZ ... Tiger's tampon moment was not only misogynistic but also tone-deaf and straight-up disrespectful to women and girls all over the world.

Sugar ripped the golfing legend, wondering if he's intimating "periods are embarrassing or shameful or a sign of weakness?"

As you know ... Tiger was playing his Friday round at the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles with Justin Thomas when he hit his ball further than Justin and handed a Tampax to his friend and competitor. The misguided sentiment -- Justin hits "like a girl."

The women's group says it's sad to see Tiger do this because he's a grown man with a daughter ... and they feel the joke distracts from the serious issues involving mental health and periods, which women and girls around the globe face.

Tiger gave an apology/non apology, saying "It was supposed to be all fun and games. Obviously it hasn't turned out that way. If I offended anybody in any way, shape, or form, I'm sorry."  In other words, not really an apology."

Tiger Woods is now apologizing for slipping a tampon to Justin Thomas after outdriving him on a hole during a round of golf on Thursday ... saying "it was supposed to be all fun and games."

"Obviously," the golfing legend added, "it hasn't turned out that way."

Woods played the prank -- which many have deemed to be sexist -- on his golfing buddy on the ninth hole of the duo's opening round at the Genesis Invitational ... after putting his tee shot some 20 yards past the 29-year-old PGA Tour star.

You can see in video of the two as they walked toward their balls on the fairway ... Woods handed over the Tampax, and when Thomas saw what it was, he immediately dropped it.

The guys then shared a big laugh and a side hug ... before continuing on with their round.

Woods, a father of a 15-year-old daughter, was panned for the move ... and following his second round at the event on Friday, he insisted he didn't mean to offend anybody with his actions.

"If I offended anybody in any way, shape or form, I'm sorry," Woods said.

The 47-year-old went on to explain he and Thomas play jokes on each other all the time.

"I think this did not come across that way," he said. "But, between us, it was different."

Further proof Tiger Woods is rounding back into form ... the notorious trash-talker outdrove Justin Thomas on a hole Thursday, then pulled a prank that's only gonna start the "cancel him" chants.

The moment went down on the ninth hole of the guys' opening round at the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles ... when Tiger brought out his driver, and nuked a ball 323 yards down the fairway.

Thomas' ensuing drive didn't even come close to the legend's ... falling some 20 yards short of it -- and as the two were walking to their balls, Tiger slyly passed off a Tampax to his good buddy.

It took a quick second for Thomas to realize what it was -- and then he immediately dropped it. The guys then shared a huge laugh and a side hug with each other.

That's likely to be the last time they find the wildly offensive stunt funny, because the online backlash has already begun. Considering Tiger's already bounced back from scandal after scandal, you'd think he'd have better PR sense than to pull something like this.

Of course, Tiger and J.T. are very good friends and have both become known for talking smack on the course. In fact, at The Match back in December, the two threw jabs at each other for hours throughout the evening.

Thomas ended up with the last laugh on Tiger, though -- at least, when it came to Thursday's scores -- he shot a 3-under 68, while Woods carded a 2-under 69.

PGA Tour star Tony Finau ain't too proud to admit it -- he misses some of his golfing pals who defected to LIV ... telling TMZ Sports he hasn't been able to see his buddies in a long time due to the creation of the new league.

Finau told us he used to be super close with guys like Carlos Ortiz, Abraham Ancer and Brooks Koepka ... but when they all left the Tour, it put a serious strain on their friendships.

"Man," he said out in Arizona this week, "I haven't seen them in literally like a year."

He added that it all sucks.

Of course, Finau's had his opportunities to head over to LIV and join his bros ... but he's been against it.

The 33-year-old has said in the past he'd rather stay on the Tour and compete there for glory ... as opposed to chasing money in the Saudi-backed LIV.