Golf

Here's a video that'll hit ya right in the feels on a Tuesday morning ...

Pro golfer Michael Visacki reached his lifelong goal of making a PGA Tour event this week ... and his emotional reaction to it all was absolutely priceless.

Visacki turned pro SEVEN YEARS ago ... but hadn't once qualified for a Tour event -- until he finally did it on Monday in dramatic fashion.

The 27-year-old needed to sink a 20-footer at a qualifying event to get into this weekend's Valspar Championship in Florida ... and when he did just that, the tears started flowing.

The video is SUPER emotional, Visacki threw his arms in the air ... grabbed his pal, gave him a bear hug and sobbed uncontrollably.

Minutes later, Visacki got on the phone with his dad ... and broke the great news to him through mounds of tears!!

"I made it," Michael told his pops.

"You did it!" Visacki's dad said. "Oh my goodness. I'm crying. Congratulations!"

TIGER WOODS!!!

The golf superstar is up on his own two feet -- and flashing that trademark smile -- to mark the 2 month anniversary of that horrific car crash.

45-year-old Tiger is standing on crutches at one of his golf courses -- with a medical brace on his lower right leg and ankle ... standing next to his beloved dog.

"My course is coming along faster than I am," Tiger wrote on IG ... "But it’s nice to have a faithful rehab partner, man’s best friend."

It's a great sign to see Tiger smiling and upright ... considering the catastrophic injuries he suffered during that Feb. 23 car wreck in Southern California.

As we previously reported, Tiger suffered comminuted open fractures in his right leg -- meaning the bone was shattered in at least 2 places and broke through the skin.

Doctors used a rod to stabilize it, according to Tiger's medical team -- and he's reportedly been spending the past several weeks recovering and rehabbing at one of his residences in Florida.

Tiger was driving through Rancho Palos Verdes on his way to an L.A. golf course when he crashed his Genesis GV80 SUV down the side of a hill -- wrecking the car and suffering major injuries.

Investigators determined Tiger was doing driving at speeds between 82 and 87 MPH leading up to the crash -- more than 40 MPH over the 45 MPH speed limit ... and was doing 75 when he collided with a tree.

Officials said Tiger showed no signs of impairment and believe he may have panicked behind the wheel and stomped on the accelerator instead of the brake when he realized he was losing control.

Woods obviously missed The Masters tournament due to his injuries and many wonder if he'll ever be able to play pro golf again.

He's gonna like this one, Jim!!!

Tony Romo transitioned back into athlete mode Thursday ... sinking a 30-foot chip-in for an eagle at a pro tournament -- and the shot was EPIC!!

The ex-Dallas Cowboys QB (and Jim Nantz' NFL game broadcasting partner) hit the links as a sponsor exemption at the Korn Ferry Tour's Veritex Bank Championship in Arlington, Texas ... and it didn't take long for him to shine.

On his first hole of the day -- the Par 5 10th at Texas Rangers Golf Club -- Romo knocked his second shot just short of the green, and was looking to chip it close with his 3rd shot to set himself up for a birdie look.

The thing is ... Romo hit the chip shot so well -- IT ACTUALLY WENT IN!!!

Side angle footage showed just how difficult of a chip it really was ... Romo had to navigate a big hill in order to bury the ball in the cup.

Of course, Tony's a hell of a golfer and this isn't anything too new for the 41-year-old -- so his celebration was muted, with nothing more than a small fist pump and a wave.

Romo -- who's played a handful of times at pro events before -- is currently doing well at the event ... he's even on his scorecard through five holes so far.

Two men beat the hell out of each other on a golf course last week -- with one of the dudes even swinging a flagstick at the other -- and the insane fight was all caught on video!

The wild scene went down on April 9 at a golf club in South Africa ... when two men got into a fistfight on the course at a local school's fundraiser event.

According to the club's general manager, Leon Kruger, the two had apparently been in a dispute over a lost phone before the melee erupted.

"There were two groups, one behind the other, on the course," Kruger said of the tiff to News24. "Someone in the first group lost their phone."

"When they asked the second group if they had seen the phone, they denied having it. That's when things then got out of hand."

You can see in the footage, one of the men began attacking the other, throwing haymakers and eventually ripping off the guy's shirt.

That's when the shirtless man grabbed a nearby flagstick, and swung it at the other dude's head repeatedly!!

The stick struck the guy with such force, it broke over his body ... but the fight still continued.

Eventually, after several more punches were thrown ... the guys calmed down and the fracas was over. It does not appear authorities were involved.

"KOBE!!!!!"

That's how LPGA Tour star Jessica Korda celebrated an amazing chip shot on the golf course Wednesday ... and it was AWESOME!!

The 28-year-old was up near the green for her 3rd shot on the 17th hole during her 1st round at the Lotte Championship in Hawaii ... when she straight-up dunked her ball into the cup on the fly!!

Check out the clip ... the stroke was incredible -- her ball landed in the center of the hole from about 30 yards away -- giving her an eagle!!!

The best part? Korda celebrated immediately after the shot hit the plastic, flicking her wrist and yelling out, "Kobe!"

Of course, the celebration has been around for YEARS ... who hasn't thrown a ball of socks into a laundry basket and yelled out the NBA legend's name???

But, it's taken on a whole new meaning since Kobe Bryant tragically passed away last year ... and it's pretty incredible to see the honor still going on to this day.

Patrick Mahomes and Trevor Lawrence chopped it up at The Masters in Augusta on Thursday ... which begs the question -- what do two superstar QBs talk about?!

Which guy's gonna dominate the AFC?? How to win a Super Bowl?? Will Dustin Johnson bounce back from his +2 start??

The big-time signal-callers hit up Augusta National Golf Club to watch the opening round of the tournament ... and appeared to be having a great time together!!

Lawrence -- who's getting married to his longtime GF Marissa Mowry this weekend -- made one final quick trip with his fiancée before getting hitched ... and the couple spent some solid time with the Super Bowl LIV champ.

Mahomes -- who recently welcomed a daughter with fiancée Brittany Matthews in February -- was at the event with his bestie and teammate Travis Kelce for the ultimate bro sesh.

Nice to see the guys all hanging together ... but the friendliness may come to an end when Lawrence becomes a Jacksonville Jaguar later this month.

A tradition unlike any other turned into a pain unlike any other for Rory McIlroy's dad at The Masters on Thursday ... 'cause the dude got drilled in the leg by one of his son's wayward shots!!

The surreal moment all went down on the 7th hole of McIlroy's opening round ... when the golf superstar tried to bend a shot around a tree to hit the green from the rough.

The problem? McIlroy's approach never turned -- and it made a beeline right for his dad!!

Rory tried to give his pops a heads up ... he shouted "Fore right!" as soon as the ball left his clubface -- but it was too late, and just moments later, Gerry McIlroy's poor calf ate the golf ball.

Gerry was seen limping shortly after the strike ... but it seems he's OK -- 'cause he joked with reporters after the direct hit, "I should ask for an autographed glove."

The shot sucks for both McIlroys ... but Rory's currently got some bigger issues on his hands -- he's +3 through 10 so far, and a possible missed cut seems to be on the horizon.

The first responders who tended to Tiger Woods in the moments after his crash detailed the gruesome injuries in a newly released incident report ... and Tiger was even more banged up than we initially thought.

Under the section labeled "describe injuries," the first responders listed in graphic detail what they saw on Feb. 23 when they came upon Woods.

"Knocked unconscious, laceration to the lower front jaw, bruised right and left rib cage, fractured right tibia and fibula, possible right ankle injury."

Later in the report, there is more detail about the injury to Tiger's right leg -- "open fracture, mid shaft on his right leg, below knee."

As we previously reported, Woods was transported to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center for emergency treatment.

He was ultimately diagnosed with comminuted open fractures in his right leg -- meaning the bone was shattered in at least 2 places and broke through the skin.

Doctors used a rod, screws and pins to stabilize the injuries, according to Tiger's medical team.

Tiger's doctors also noted, "trauma to the muscle and soft-tissue of the leg required surgical release of the covering of the muscles to relieve pressure due to swelling."

Woods was eventually transferred to Cedars Sinai in the weeks following the crash -- and was finally discharged and allowed to go home in mid-March.

Tiger has reportedly been recovering at one of his homes in Florida ever since.

As for his golf career, that's still up in the air -- some experts believe he can make a full recovery and play again. Others aren't as confident.

Tiger says he's "getting stronger every day" -- and it seems like he's focused on making a comeback at some point.

Tiger Woods' car crash was caused by excessive speed, but there may be more to the story that we may never know ... TMZ has learned.

The L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. will release the findings of their investigation Wednesday morning.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Tiger was speeding when he lost control of his SUV and we're told the Sheriff is hanging the cause of the accident squarely on speed.

We're told the SUV's black box shows Tiger actually accelerated at the time of the crash. We're also told that just as Tiger lost control the SUV actually gained speed.

There's more ... law enforcement sources tell us, the Sheriff's Dept. did not get a warrant to check Tiger's cell phone to determine if he was on a call or texting at the time of the crash. Our sources say the Dept. felt it did not have probable cause to get a warrant for cell phone records, although that is often done in accident investigations.

Our sources say Tiger hit his head 3 to 4 times on something hard in the cabin.

As we previously reported, the Sheriff had said there was no evidence Tiger was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, although authorities never tried to get a warrant to draw blood. They say they did not have the necessary probable cause.

We're told there will be no charges filed or citations issued against Tiger.

As you know by now, Tiger was on his way to an L.A. golf course when he crashed his Genesis GV80 SUV down the side of a hill in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.

Tiger, who told first responders he had no recollection of the accident ... suffered major injuries to his right leg, and underwent surgery to repair the damage.

Tiger is out of the hospital and is back in Florida where he's recovering.

The reality of missing out on The Masters is settling in for Tiger Woods ... his golf pal, Justin Thomas, says the injured star is “bummed" to not be playing this weekend.

JT explained the situation to reporters at a news conference Tuesday ... saying Tiger just hit him up last week and expressed sadness over not being able to compete for his sixth green jacket.

"We texted Friday morning, and he said it's kind of starting to set in," Thomas revealed. "He's bummed he's not here playing practice rounds with us, and we hate it too."

Thomas -- who normally has all of his Masters practice rounds with Woods -- says he's visited Tiger several times in the past few weeks out in Florida.

JT didn't reveal how the recovery process is going for the 45-year-old ... but the fact that he's texting about golf appears to be at least a somewhat good sign he's on the mend.

As we previously reported, Woods suffered horrific leg injuries in a car crash in California on Feb. 23 ... and just returned to Florida from the hospital about 3 weeks ago.

He's not expected to make an appearance at this weekend's event -- a tourney he's DOMINATED over the years -- but some of the guys are still honoring him, nonetheless.

In addition to Thomas lamenting not being able to play with him this week ... Woods' other golf bud, Fred Couples, rocked a Tiger mask at the course Tuesday to show support.

"Not the same without you," Couples tweeted.

"I'd be in traction at a hospital if I tried this."

That's how one announcer described the insanity of Bryson DeChambeau's Master's prep on Monday ... and, yeah, it truly was THAT ridiculous!!!

Golf's maniacal 27-year-old star hit the practice range to prep for the PGA Tour's most prestigious tournament in Georgia this week ... and the guy just completely went off with his driver.

Check out the footage captured by Golf Channel ... Bryson was swinging so damn hard, fellow tour pro Vijay Singh could do nothing but sit and stare in awe!!

The swings were rapid-fire, too ... Bryson would destroy a golf ball to the moon and then immediately turn to his caddie for a reload!!!

"It's exhausting to watch," one announcer said of the routine.

It's unconventional for sure ... but it's worked for DeChambeau this year -- he's known as the longest driver on tour BY FAR, and he's one of the biggest favorites to win The Masters this weekend because of that power.

You've seen birdies and eagles on a golf course before ... but ever seen an eagle EAT a birdie on the links?!!?!

That's exactly what happened during some guy's round in Canada on Thursday ... when a bald eagle straight up hunted down a seagull and then ate it right next to a fairway!!!

The wild scene all went down out at Point Grey Golf & Country Club in Vancouver ... where a golfer decided to whip out his camera as an eagle was flying by.

What happened next was INSANE ... the eagle stalked a seagull -- tailing it at full speed, before it finally latched on to the bird with its razor-sharp talons.

The eagle took the 'gull to the ground ... then began eating it -- and eventually took off with the carcass like it was a small purse!!

The guys on the course were shocked by what they had just seen... with one of the guys saying, "That was crazy!"

By the way ... in case you were wondering, seagulls ARE actually a part of bald eagles' diets.

According to the National Eagle Center, the majestic beasts normally munch on fish, but smaller birds like seagulls and other mammals are often on the menu too.

Before you read this -- no, this ain't an April Fools' Joke!!

Golf superstar Brooks Koepka got on one knee and popped the question to his gorgeous GF Jena Sims ... and she said, "YES!!!"

... A MONTH AGO!!!

Of course, 30-year-old Brooks and 32-year-old Jena are known to have a good time and some lighthearted fun -- and their engagement announcement was no exception.

Living up to their steez, the couple decided to wait nearly a month to announce their plans to get hitched on the biggest "Fake News" day of the year -- April Fools' Day.

"Forever is no joke 💕," Jena captioned the photo of the proposal Thursday ... showing a huge diamond ring on ~that~ finger.

Sims revealed the actual date of the proposal on Instagram ... saying he popped the big Q in Jupiter, FL on March 3, 2021.

The current #8-ranked Koepka and Sims have been dating for around 4 years ... and their relationship burst onto the scene after he won the U.S. Open in 2017.

The investigators tasked with finding the cause of the Tiger Woods crash have determined the cause of the accident -- but they're not releasing the results, citing "privacy issues."

L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva confirmed Wednesday the investigation into Woods stemming from the Feb. 23 crash has wrapped up -- but when pressed on the findings, he told the media he won't go public with the findings until he gets permission from Tiger's camp.

"A cause has been determined, the investigation has concluded," Villanueva said.

"We have reached out to Tiger Woods and his personnel ... There's some privacy issues on releasing information on the investigation so we're going to ask them if they waive the privacy and then we will be able to do a full release on all the information regarding the accident."

Villanueva did not expand on why he would need Tiger's permission to release the info.

As we previously reported ... the investigation had unearthed some troubling evidence after law enforcement sources told us they believed Tiger never hit the brakes as he spun off the road. We were also told there was no evidence he took his foot off the gas either.

We were told investigators believed Tiger did nothing to prevent the crash once he lost control of his expensive SUV rental. Our sources had said before Tiger got to the scene of the crash he had been driving "normal" and not speeding. Evidence indicated he accelerated and was speeding when he lost control.

As we reported, the Sheriff's Dept. said Tiger told one of the first responders he had no recollection of the accident. Even still ... the Sheriff said almost immediately after the crash there was no evidence of impaired driving nor any evidence of alcohol. That being said ... the Sheriff also never attempted to get a warrant to draw blood to test for medications and was adamant Tiger wouldn't face criminal charges for the crash.

Tiger, of course, suffered major injuries in the single-car crash -- like major damage to his right leg, comminuted open fractures to both his upper and lower tibia and fibula -- which required emergency surgery.

The Tiger Woods crash investigation has unearthed some troubling evidence ... because law enforcement sources tell us they believe Tiger never hit the brakes as he careened off the road and there's no evidence he took his foot off the gas either.

The investigation has been going full steam since the accident nearly a month ago. The Sheriff's Dept. has been looking at the SUV, the crash site and many other pieces of evidence. They are also retrieving data from the SUV's black box. So far, we're told investigators believe Tiger did nothing to prevent the crash once he lost control of the vehicle.

Sources with direct knowledge say investigators have looked at various videos ... from the hotel where he started the ill-fated drive to various surveillance cameras along the way.

We're told before Tiger got to the scene of the crash he had been driving "normal" and not speeding, but the evidence indicates he accelerated and was speeding when he lost control.

As we reported, the Sheriff's Dept. says Tiger told one of the first responders he had no recollection of the accident.

This all leads to the question -- Could Tiger have lost consciousness just before the crash?

The Sheriff said almost immediately after the crash there was no evidence of impaired driving and there was no evidence of alcohol. That said, the Sheriff never attempted to get a warrant to draw blood in order to test for medications.

Tiger was recovering from back surgery at the time of the crash, and had been hosting a golf tournament -- he couldn't play because of his back.

Tiger Woods is finally out of the hospital and recovering at home -- and assuring his fans he's "getting stronger every day."

"Happy to report that I am back home and continuing my recovery," Woods said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.

"I am so grateful for the outpouring of support and encouragement that I have received over the past few weeks."

"Thank you to the incredible surgeons, doctors, nurses and staff at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and Cedars Sinai Medical Center. You have all taken such great care of me and I cannot thank you enough."

Tiger continued, "I will be recovering at home and working on getting stronger every day."

The 45-year-old golfer suffered major damage to his right leg during a Feb. 23 car crash in the Rancho Palos Verdes area of Los Angeles.

Woods suffered comminuted open fractures to both his upper and lower tibia and fibula -- which required emergency surgery.

Doctors at Harbor-UCLA used a rod to stabilize the leg and screws to treat Tiger's badly damaged ankle.

He was moved to Cedars Sinai in the days following the crash where he continued his care.

Cops opened an investigation into the accident but officials say there were no obvious signs that Tiger was under the influence of any substance at the time of the crash.

Woods was in town for his Genesis Open golf tournament -- and had stuck around after it concluded to shoot promo videos with celebrities like Dwyane Wade and David Spade for Golf.com.