Golf

Tiger Woods is back in the video game business -- signing a HUGE new contract with 2K to appear in its PGA Tour game franchise.

So, yeah ... YOU'LL BE ABLE TO PLAY AS TIGER WOODS AGAIN!!

This is massive news for the guy who was once the king of golf video games!!!

Remember, Tiger dominated the gaming world with his Tiger Woods PGA Tour games from 1999 to 2013 -- but hasn't taken a swing in the digital space since.

That's changing though ... 2K announced Tuesday morning it signed Tiger to an "exclusive, long-term partnership" -- in which he will also serve as an "executive director" for its PGA Tour game franchise.

The deal means Tiger's image and likeness can be used in all PGA Tour 2K golf games.

Tiger -- who's still recovering from a bad February car crash -- issued a statement on the deal ... saying, "I am looking forward to making my return to the video game landscape, and with 2K and HB Studios, I’ve found the right partners to make it happen."

"I'm honored to take part in this opportunity and look forward to sharing my expertise and insights as we build the future of golf video games together."

Two months after muttering an anti-gay slur on the golf course ... Justin Thomas was back holding up a trophy -- winning the Players Championship on Sunday at TPC Sawgrass.

The 27-year-old lost several major sponsors -- including Ralph Lauren -- back in January after television mics caught him using the f-word during a round at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.

Thomas had missed a 5-foot putt ... and, as he kicked the ensuing shot into the hole, he said "f*****" under his breath.

Thomas later called the incident "inexcusable" and apologized ... saying, "It's terrible. I'm extremely embarrassed. It's not who I am; it's not the kind of person that I am or anything that I do."

A few weeks later in February, Justin lost his grandpa, who died at 89 years old ... and then also nearly lost his good pal, Tiger Woods, in a terrifying car crash just weeks after that.

Thomas -- who had intended to enter a "training program" to learn from the anti-gay slur incident -- said all of it had tested him "mentally, physically, emotionally."

But, Thomas finally put everything behind him this weekend ... and used a monster 4th-round Sunday to hold off stars like Lee Westwood and Bryson DeChambeau to earn the PGA Tour win.

"It’s been a crappy couple of months," Thomas said Sunday. "I’ve had stuff happen in my life I never thought I’d have happen."

Thomas added, "I kept telling everyone on my team or my family I’m ready for something good to happen this year."

Rory McIlroy -- one of Tiger Woods' best friends on the PGA Tour -- says Tiger is "doing better" after his horrific car crash ... and could be discharged from the hospital in the next week or so.

McIlroy made the revelation on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on Tuesday ... saying he's spoken with Tiger since the 45-year-old was seriously injured in a rollover crash on Feb. 23 -- and is getting positive news from the golf legend.

"He's doing better," Rory told Fallon ... "Hopefully if things go well over the next week or so he might be able to get home and start recovery at home."

It'd be great news for Woods ... Tiger's right leg was severely broken in the accident -- requiring multiple procedures to fix the issues since.

McIlroy, though, said Woods has been in good spirits during his recovery ... even sending Rory encouragement -- and even some friendly trash talk -- over his performance at this past weekend's Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida.

"Even from the hospital bed," McIlroy said with a smile, "he's still giving me some heat."

Tiger has not spoken publicly since Feb. 28 -- when he thanked the pro golfers, including McIlory, who paid homage to him by wearing red and black during their rounds.

Jordan Spieth -- one of the best golfers on the planet -- paused his practice round Tuesday to hear a speech about him from a child fan ... and the adorable scene was all caught on video!!

Spieth had been working his way around the TPC Sawgrass course in Florida in preparation for this week's PGA Tour event ... when out of nowhere, a little kid caught the 27-year-old's attention.

"Hey, Jordan!" the child yelled. "I'm doing a report on you at school, do you want to hear my speech?"

Jordan -- one of the sweetest guys on Tour -- obliged ... and then the kid delivered greatness!!

For around a minute, the child recited fact after fact about Jordan ... missing no details and not stumbling a single time -- and Jordan LOVED IT!!!

When the kid finished, everyone clapped ... and Spieth hooked him up with a signed ball and a glove!!

Unclear what the kid scored on his class project ... but we're guessing an A was given.

Because, come on, did you see the Masters outfit he wore for the classroom address???

The first man to respond to the Tiger Woods crash scene was a local man who told law enforcement the golfer was unconscious in the driver's seat ... this according to new court documents obtained by TMZ Sports.

L.A. County Sheriff's Deputy Johann Schloegl submitted an affidavit which described an interview with a man who lives in the area where Tiger crashed his SUV on Feb. 23.

The man told law enforcement ... he heard the crash near the Rolling Hills Estates and decided to walk to the accident scene to check it out, where he saw Woods.

According to the affidavit, the witness tried talking with Tiger but the golfer was unresponsive.

L.A. County Sheriff's Deputy Carlos Gonzalez arrived at the scene shortly after -- and has publicly stated Woods was conscious and talking when he got there.

Deputy Gonzalez has also said Tiger did not appear to be under the influence of alcohol or any other substance.

As we previously reported, officials are now pulling data from the "black box" in Tiger's 2021 GV80 vehicle which could reveal details about Tiger's speed and driving pattern in the moments before the crash.

In the affidavit, Deputy Schloegl spells out, "I believe the data will explain how/why the collision occurred."

The L.A. County Sheriff got a search warrant to seize the black box in the vehicle Tiger Woods crashed ... because a judge believed there was probable cause to believe a crime may have been committed, and law enforcement sources say the possible offense is misdemeanor reckless driving.

Multiple law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the search warrant prepared by the Sheriff's Dept. outlined details of the crash that left Tiger badly injured. Some of the items go to the heart of the warrant -- establishing probable cause -- the fact there were no skid marks, the objects struck by the SUV before it came to rest, the fact it was a single-vehicle crash, Tiger's horrendous injuries as well as damage to the vehicle and apparent excessive speed.

Our sources say the words "reckless driving" are not mentioned in the warrant. In fact, our sources say no specific crime is listed in the warrant. Nevertheless, a judge is prohibited from signing a search warrant unless there's probable cause of a crime. That's the essence of the 4th Amendment to the Constitution.

Our law enforcement sources say one of 2 things occurred ... either a member of the Sheriff's Dept. went into the judge's chambers to discuss the warrant -- something that is frequently done -- and mentioned reckless driving, or the judge simply looked at the documents and determined there was probable cause of possible reckless driving. Nevertheless, our law enforcement sources say examining the black box for possible reckless driving was the object of the search warrant.

Investigators in the Tiger Woods crash have obtained a search warrant to pull the "black box" from the SUV the golfer wrecked on Feb. 23 ... but it's still very unlikely he'll be charged with a crime.

The L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. confirmed the warrant to USA Today -- but insisted it was a "routine part" of a typical crash investigation and does not make it any more likely officials will hit the 45-year-old with criminal charges.

A car's black box usually contains information about the vehicle's speed at the time of a collision. It can also show if brakes were applied, airbags were deployed, seatbelts were worn, etc.

“We’re trying to determine if a crime was committed,” Sheriff’s Deputy John Schloegl told USA Today ... "If somebody is involved in a traffic collision, we’ve got to reconstruct the traffic collision, if there was any reckless driving, if somebody was on their cell phone or something like that."

"We determine if there was a crime. If there was no crime, we close out the case, and it was a regular traffic collision."

Sheriff Alex Villanueva previously said Tiger will NOT face criminal charges -- and suggested the worst thing that could happen is Woods gets hit with an infraction if investigators determined he was driving while distracted.

"We do not contemplate any charges whatsoever in this crash," Villanueva said last week ... "This remains an accident. An accident is not a crime."

Both Villanueva and Schloegl have said there is no evidence to support the theory Tiger was impaired while he was behind the wheel on Feb. 23 ... which is why officials never made a concentrated effort to obtain a blood sample.

Woods was severely injured in the wreck -- requiring major surgery to repair multiple fractures in his right leg.

Say goodbye to Johnny Football ... and say hello to Johnny FOOOOOREball -- 'cause Johnny Manziel says he's pursuing a career as a professional golfer!!!

The 28-year-old former Heisman Trophy winner revealed he's devoting the next 12 years of his life to golf ... in hopes of eventually making a PGA Tour event.

"I’m gonna grind this out and see how good I can get and see if I can’t enter in some tournaments, and see if I can’t try and go play professional golf eventually," Manziel said on Chris Long's "Green Light" Podcast.

"I think it is a very uphill battle, but that’s what I’m setting for my goals. I have 12 years to try and make a PGA Tour event."

Of course, Manziel is currently the QB for the Fan Controlled Football's Zappers ... but says it's just for fun, there's no plan to get back to the NFL.

As for golf, Manziel says he's been playing casually his whole life and wants to step his game up to the next level. Don't forget, when Johnny is locked in and focused, he's one of the most talented athletes in the world.

JM says he's a "work in progress" on the links -- and claims his current handicap is a 0 or a 1 ... which is certainly nothing to scoff at.

Johnny wouldn't be the first former Heisman to switch careers after stints in the NFL -- Tim Tebow most recently went from the gridiron to the baseball diamond before retiring last month.

"Tiger means everything to me."

That's 24-year-old golf star Collin Morikawa getting extremely emotional about his idol, Tiger Woods, in the moments after winning a huge PGA event on Sunday ... and it's powerful stuff.

Morikawa had just won the World Golf Championships-Workday tournament in Bradenton, FL -- putting together a monster final round to hold off a stellar field of the PGA Tour's biggest stars.

During the post-match interview, he was asked about Woods ... and things got so emotional, Morikawa could barely hold back the tears.

"Yes, you know, he had the crash and thankfully he's all right and hopefully has a quick and great recovery," Morikawa said.

"But I don't think we say 'Thank you' enough. So I want to say thank you to Tiger. Because sometimes you lose people too early and that's -- Kobe. I lost my grandpa about a month ago. And you don't get to say thank you enough. So thank you, guys."

Morikawa's post-round conversation was one of many ways Tiger was honored during the event over the weekend ... with huge stars like Tony Finau and Rory McIlroy paying homage to the 45-year-old by dressing like him.

The guys rocked red shirts with black pants -- Tiger's signature Sunday look -- and Woods appreciated the gesture so much, he released a statement over it all late Sunday evening.

"It is hard to explain how touching today was when I turned on the tv and saw all the red shirts," Tiger said. "To every golfer and every fan, you are truly helping me get through this tough time."

Tiger Woods was top of mind in the professional golf world this weekend, and you could tell as much by what everyone on the green was wearing ... Big Cat's colors themselves.

There are a few different tournaments underway Sunday, but at just about all of them ... a majority of the players -- especially the stars -- were decked out in red and black getups ... all just to honor their hero, Tiger, as he recovers from his horrific car crash.

Among some of the players who opted for TW's signature pairing -- Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Patrick Reed, Andrew Putnam, Jason Day, Angel Yin, Nelson Ledesma, Tommy Fleetwood, Tony Finau, Min Woo Lee, Sebastian Munoz, Stacy Lewis and others.

The golfers are participating in competitions like the WGC-Workday Championship, the Gainbridge LPGA and the Puerto Rico Open.

Of course, even before the accident ... Tiger wasn't golfing quite yet, as he'd just undergone his fifth back surgery in January -- and was speculating he could miss the Masters in April as rehabbed. He'd partaken in the PNC Championship with his son, Charlie, in December.

As we reported ... Tiger has been transferred to Cedars-Sinai after intensive surgery on his right leg, which was essentially torn apart in the accident by comminuted open fractures.  He's expected to have several more surgeries.

Tiger told investigators he has no recollection of the crash.

Tiger Woods has been transferred to a new hospital to continue his recovery -- and will now be treated at the famous Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A.

Tiger's medical team at UCLA confirmed the move and praised the golfer as he left.

"Mr. Tiger Woods was transferred to Cedars Sinai Medical Center for continuing orthopedic care and recovery," Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Anish Mahajan said.

"On behalf of our staff, it was an honor to provide orthopedic trauma care to one of our generation's greatest athletes."

Tiger was initially transported to Harbor-UCLA in the minutes after his car crash on Feb. 23 in Palos Verdes, CA.

Officials say he was taken to Harbor-UCLA because it was the best equipped, and closest hospital to treat Tiger's injuries.

Tiger suffered major injuries to his right leg in the crash -- including comminuted open fractures ... which means the bones were shattered and breaking through the skin.

Harbor-UCLA doctors used a rod to stabilize Tiger's leg and a combination of pins and screws to repair his badly damaged right ankle and foot.

A pro athlete just signed a huge, $10 MILLION contract ... but it wasn't a hooper or a football player -- we're talking DISC GOLF, BABY!!

30-year-old Paul McBeth just became the richest player in the sport's history ... inking the massive endorsement deal with Discraft Disc Sports that will pay him a solid 10 milli over the next 10 years.

McBeth is widely considered one of the best disc golfers on the planet -- he has 130 pro wins, 5 world championships and 2 national titles ... and was ranked #1 in the Professional Disc Golf Association rankings before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

So ... what the heck is disc golf?? It's pretty much like golf, but instead of hitting a ball with a club, you throw a flying disc into a basket made of chains.

It's a sport McBeth has been playing since he was a kid ... and the dude is thrilled to be raking in the dough after decades of hard work.

"It’s mind-blowing to me to think about that 17-year-old me — or even before that, 14-year-old me — made the right move back then to put myself in this position and be able to propel the sport potentially to the next level," McBeth said in a video announcing the deal.

The guy was already making some serious coin via his signature disc line -- he reportedly sold more than 100k of his own discs last year, earning $4 per disc, according to Cypress Point Disc Golf.

McBeth's previous contract with Discraft -- 4 years, $1 million -- was also considered the biggest in the sport at the time ... before he shattered it with the new deal.

McBeth is also married to pro disc golfer in Hannah McBeth, who is a badass in the sport as well with 3 career event wins. The two got married in 2018.

Incredible video shot less than 24 hours after the raid on the U.S. Capitol shows Donald Trump joking around with golf legends Gary Player and Annika Sorenstam ... while the rest of the country was still in shock.

Remember, Player and Sorenstam had each been booked to receive the Presidential Medal of Honor -- the highest civilian award in the country -- from Trump at a White House ceremony set for January 7.

The issue ... the insurrection at the capitol occurred on Jan. 6 -- where 5 people died and many more were injured. Several buildings in the Capitol complex were evacuated and locked down.

Yet, Trump forged ahead with the medal ceremony -- but decided to make it a private affair instead of a big public display.

Footage of the ceremony was captured by reporter Graham Bensinger -- and shows Trump joking around with the golfers as if everything was normal.

"Gary earned the title 'Mr. Fitness,' Trump said ... "He just told me, he said, 'Sir, lose a couple of pounds.' I said, 'Okay, Gary’' ... he said it in front of Annika. That was very rude, don't you think?!! How rude can you be?"

The jokes were met with huge laughs from people in the room -- and both Player and Sorenstam proceeded to praise Trump when they stepped in front if the mic.

"I want to say thank you for all that you've done and the service to our country," Sorenstam said ... "particularly, during the coronavirus crisis. I know it's been very tough and challenging, but many congratulations on the rollout of the vaccine and warp speed."

Player added that Trump's White House has "changed the world for the better."

In the weeks that followed, Trump was impeached -- with officials accusing him of inciting the insurrection.

Bensinger sat down with Sorenstam one month later for his show "In Depth with Graham Bensinger" -- and she admitted she's heard the negative criticism about her decision to accept the award while others like Bill Belichick declined.

"I've received quite a bit of positive feedback from friends and family. But, then there've been some not so positive," Sorenstam said ... "And, I've heard those, and I've listened to those."

Bensinger asked specifically what the negative criticism has been.

"I'm gonna be honest, I haven't been on social media since then. The other things that I've heard, the negativities: not necessarily my achievements, but the timing."

As for Trump, after he was impeached ... the case went to the Senate, where he was ultimately acquitted.

Don't close the book on Tiger Woods' golf career just yet -- Dr. Oz STRONGLY believes Tiger can make a full recovery ... and could be back on the links in a year!

Woods suffered MAJOR damage to his right leg in the Feb. 23 car crash -- including comminuted open fractures (shattered bones that broke through the skin).

Dr. Oz compared the injury to NFL quarterback Alex Smith -- who also suffered a compound fracture of his tibia and fibula during a game in 2018.

Smith missed the 2019 season -- but returned to action in 2020 after multiple surgeries and serious rehab.

It's not an exact apples-to-apples comparison ... but it's close. And, Oz says Smith's case proves a shattered leg isn't career-ender anymore.

So, why is Dr. Oz so optimistic about Tiger's chances to recover, despite the fact he's 45 years old?

"He's had a bunch of surgeries and bounced back when no one thought he could," Oz says.

Plus, Tiger "had the luck of having his accident near a major trauma center with expertise in this area."

In other words, Tiger got top-level medical attention QUICKLY -- which bodes well for his chances of a full recovery.

"He still has the most important component to recovery which is mental resilience. This man can do what no one else can do. So with the strength of his mind and fortitude, I do think he'll be back and I think he'll come back to full speed."

Medically speaking, Oz says it'll be at least 6 months until Tiger's leg bones are "recovered to the original form" -- but he believes it will take around one year to build back the muscles in order to go out and golf again.

When Canelo Alvarez isn't knocking people out, he's OBSESSED with golf -- especially Tiger Woods -- which is why he's pulling like crazy for Tiger to recover from his injuries.

"Very sad to hear what happened," Canelo tells TMZ Sports ... "I hope everything comes out okay."

Canelo says he's been following Tiger since Woods first won The Masters in 1997 -- despite the fact Canelo was only 7 years old at the time! Alvarez has been an avid golfer ever since.

"He's so good. He's the best," Canelo added ... "I hope that he has good health and one of my dreams is to play with him."

Of course, Canelo won't be on the links this week -- he's gearing up for a big fight Saturday night on DAZN against "The Turkish Wolf" Avni Yildirim at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

Yildirim is 21-2 as a pro -- but he hasn't fought in 2 years and he's a huge underdog against Canelo. But, Alvarez says he's not taking his opponent lightly.

"I always train like I'm gonna fight the best," Canelo tells us ... "I don't care if people know him or not. I know that the guy he's coming for the win and I know and I train like always and I'm gonna do my best in the fight.'

Canelo says he's gunning for a knockout -- like always -- and also talks about possible upcoming opponents.

Tiger Woods was greeted with a familiar face Wednesday as he recovers from his car crash ... his girlfriend stopped by, and it looks like she came bearing gifts.

Erica Herman popped into Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in West Carson, where TW is currently hospitalized. She also seemed to be accompanied by Tiger's caddie ... Joe LaCava.

They were both masked up heading in -- but later, Erica's mask disappeared. In its place was a paper cup you might get at a food court. Joe had one too, plus a paper bag of grub. Unclear if they were bringing something for Tiger, or just munching themselves.

Tiger's SO (significant other, for you old folks) since 2017 is a former employee at his Florida restaurant The Woods ... the general manager, no less. They were first linked at the Presidents Cup in NJ, and have gotten serious since ... reportedly now living together.

Good to see him getting some company that'll hopefully lift his spirits and help him feel better sooner -- lord knows he needs it after essentially having his right leg destroyed in the wreck.

As we reported ... Tiger suffered comminuted open fractures in two different bones, meaning they tore the skin. His ankle was shattered as well -- and, all in all, he required a rod, screws/pins and extensive orthopedic surgery from trauma specialists to help keep it all together.