Golf

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.

Bryson DeChambeau launched a ball OVER the net at Topgolf this weekend ... and the majestic drive was all captured on epic video!!

The PGA star -- who's by far the longest driver on the Tour -- hit up the popular golf spot on Saturday ... and it didn't take him long to begin punishing balls from an upper-deck bay.

Check out the footage the 28-year-old posted to his TikTok page ... during one of his tee shots, you can see he hit a ball that cleared the fence over 200 yards away!!!

The computers at the golf spot registered the speed of the ball at a staggering 201 MPH -- something DeChambeau was clearly pleased with.

"@topgolf we might need to get taller nets🤪," Bryson said after posting the vid.

Of course, we shouldn't be too surprised by the shot ... DeChambeau does these kinds of things regularly on the actual course -- hitting drives over 400 yards!!

Tiger Woods may not be done winning golf tourneys just yet ... so says his good buddy and fellow PGA Tour star, Justin Thomas, who claims the golf legend will try for a comeback to the Tour.

Thomas made the revelation on the "No Laying Up" podcast this week ... explaining the vibe he's gotten from Woods now 9 months removed from his horrifying car crash is that the 45-year-old will attempt a pro return.

"I know that he's going to try," said Thomas, who added that he's been visiting with Woods two or three times a week in Florida recently.

"I know how determined he is and I know he's going to want to at least try to give something again."

Of course, many wondered if Woods would even think about a comeback after he shattered his leg in a Feb. 2020 car accident.

Tiger needed crutches to move around for months -- leaving doubt that he might never pick up a club again.

But, Woods was recently spotted walking with no limp at his son's golf tournament last month -- and according to Thomas, El Tigre is "doing well" in his rehab.

It's unclear if Woods has begun to swing yet ... but Thomas said, either way, he believes Woods will need to get back to firing rounds in the 60s again in order to eventually hit Augusta. Justin, though, clearly ain't putting it past Tiger to get there.

A POTUS, a golf superstar and a model walk into a party ...

That's what went down Sunday night ... 'cause former President Donald Trump schmoozed it up with golfer Dustin Johnson and Paulina Gretzky during a Halloween bash at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida.

DJ, his fiancée and friends socialized with #45 during the gathering -- with Trump greeting Paulina with kisses on both cheeks, saying, "You look great."

While Johnson sported a tennis pro outfit and Gretzky went with a Baywatch uniform, Trump appeared to either ditch the costume dress code or go as himself ... and both options are pretty believable.

So, what did the group talk about?? You can bet Trump talked DJ's ear off about all things golf ... and probably even challenged him to hit the links together.

It's been a busy weekend for The Donald -- as we previously reported, he showed up with Melania at Game 4 of the World Series in Atlanta on Saturday ... and was shown smiling from ear-to-ear and giving two thumbs up to the crowd.

Unsurprisingly, Trump's appearance didn't go without controversy -- he was spotted joining fans in the "Tomahawk Chop" ... which has been deemed racist and offensive to Native American culture.

You've seen geese, gators and birds interrupting golfers on the course ... but ever seen kangaroos do it?!?!

Well, it just happened in Australia ... and the video is hilarious!!

Wendy Powick, an amateur golfer, shared footage of the incident on Monday ... explaining she was teeing off at Arundel Hills Country Club (eight hours north of Sydney) when the large animals popped up.

The video shows Powick was just about to swing her driver on the 11th hole ... when more than a dozen kangaroos charged right at her!

"Never ever seen this happen before," said Powick, who laughed as all of the animals stared at her on the tee box.

"Absolutely gold and only in Australia," she added.

Don't worry, the kangaroos all eventually hopped away ... and Powick was able to finish off her round.

"There's a lot of them at this course," Powick said of the kangaroos to 7News. "Usually they stick to the sides and watch you play."

Dwyane Wade was able to mix in a little golf practice with work Wednesday ... snagging a courtside lesson from PGA Tour star Tony Finau as he watched his Jazz play!!

Utah's new part-owner was taking in the Jazz game against OKC, when at one point during the contest, he turned to Finau to pick his brain about golf.

Cameras in the arena caught Tony giving Wade tips on how to work his hands before striking the ball ... and it seems Dwyane was receptive to the tutoring.

The broadcast announcers knew exactly what was going on, too ... making the scene even funnier.

"That's a free lesson," one said with a laugh.

Of course, the impromptu drills shouldn't surprise anybody ... Dwyane's been an avid golfer since retiring from the Association, and he's been spotted on courses often.

In fact, back in February, he got a 1-on-1 lesson from Tiger Woods ... one in which El Tigre taught him how to line up, tee up his ball and swing closer to his body.

A golf fan had to spend a day in the hospital with a bloody head injury over the weekend ... and it's all 'cause Masters champ Hideki Matsuyama couldn't keep a drive straight.

Here's the deal ... Matsuyama was competing in the 2021 Shriners Children's Open in Las Vegas -- when on the 16th hole of his second round on Friday, he cranked a drive that went way right.

You can see in footage of the shot, it was so far from the fairway, it accidentally crash-landed into a fan's noggin -- knocking the guy to the ground.

Robert, the fan who was hit, tells TMZ Sports he was a bloody mess after the ball drilled him ... and felt "weird" and "totally disorientated."

Robert says while he was trying to recover, Matsuyama was nice enough to sign an autograph for him and apologize -- but the injury was so bad, Robert was eventually taken to the hospital.

Robert tells us he needed 6 stitches to close the wound, and you can see in photos of the aftermath -- the whole thing was gruesome.

Robert -- who says PGA Tour officials have not reached out to him over the incident -- has since started a GoFundMe to help with his medical bills, believing it could cost him in the $15,000 range.

He is expected to make a full recovery.

J.R. Smith's up-and-down first college golf tournament has just hit a new low ... he stepped in a beehive while playing a hole Tuesday and required medical attention.

The former NBA player -- who joined North Carolina A&T's golf team this year -- was playing in his final round at the Elon Phoenix Invitational at in Burlington, NC, when he hit a wayward shot on the 12th hole.

Smith -- according to witness Jared Bunder -- went into the woods to search for the ball ... but then stepped on a pile of bees.

Images from the scene show Smith was clearly in some pain -- he rubbed his foot/ankle area repeatedly -- and he ultimately required assistance from on-site medics.

Smith, per Bunder, let other groups play ahead of him while he received the medical care.

Smith's scorecard shows he was able to return to action, though, finishing the 12th hole with a double bogey. He then rebounded to card a par on the ensuing Par 4 13th.

So far, Smith is 2-over through his first four holes of his final round.

As we reported, Smith didn't have the best start to his first tourney with North Carolina A&T ... logging scores of 78 and 83 in his first two rounds. He's currently in 81st place.

J.R. Smith's officially a college golfer -- the 36-year-old made his debut at a tournament on Monday ... and it may not have gone the way he was hoping.

The ex-NBA star suited up for North Carolina A&T on the first day of the Elon Phoenix Invitational at the Alamance Country Club in Burlington, NC on Monday ... and he had a pretty solid start, hitting 2 birdies in his first 5 holes.

But, after making par on holes 10-14, Smith carded 7 bogeys and a double-bogey to finish out with an 81 (+7) ... just 6 spots above last place.

Look, there was no way the former All-Star was going to come in and wreck the competition, but the fact he's even out there doing his thing is pretty awesome ... and he looked damn good, too.

Smith will be able to work on his score during the second round of competition -- which got underway -- and we'll be keeping an eye out to see what he does on the links!!

Big shout-out to Smith for putting in the work and getting this far.