Golf

Tiger Woods says he is NOT responsible for a man's death last year ... and wants a lawsuit against him thrown out -- this according to court docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

The golf legend is currently being sued by the parents of Nicholas Immesberger -- who claim Tiger, his girlfriend and Woods' The Woods restaurant all contributed to their son's drunk driving death in 2018.

In the initial lawsuit, Immesberger's parents say the 24-year-old worked as a bartender for Woods' restaurant in Jupiter, Florida.

They say Nicholas knew Tiger personally ... and, in fact, was recruited to work at the place by Tiger's girlfriend, Erica Herman, herself.

But, they say things took a terrible turn on Dec. 10, 2018 ... when they allege Nicholas was overserved alcohol after a shift at the restaurant -- and then allowed to get into his car.

Immesberger died on the drive home -- and was found with a blood-alcohol level of .256, more than 3 times the legal limit.

Now, Tiger is officially responding to allegations he was responsible for the death ... saying in court docs he shouldn't be a defendant at all in the case.

"Mr. Woods, in short, did not sell alcohol to Mr. Immesberger," the lawsuit states ... "He has no connections to the events described in the complaint."

As for Tiger's girlfriend, Herman has also filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit ... saying she, too, was NOT responsible for Immesberger's death, claiming she was not at the restaurant on the day of the accident.

Chris Pratt seemed to be shaking off some last-minute nerves ahead of his wedding by doing a bro shake on the links with his good pal and 'Parks & Rec' costar, Rob Lowe.

CP was spotted golfing with Rob and a bunch of his buddies Saturday morning in Santa Barbara, just hours before he walked down the aisle with his new bride, Katherine Schwarzenegger, at the nearby San Ysidro Ranch resort in Montecito.

Nothing says you're ready for the long haul with someone like teeing up for an 18-rounder ... assuming Chris and co. played a full game in between group shots like this.

TMZ broke the story ... Kat and Chris held a wedding rehearsal Friday at Rob's sprawling estate in Montecito, and got hitched the following day surrounded by friends and family. They tried covering up as best as they could with umbrellas and golf carts, but it was clear ... marriage was on the docket for these two love birds.

Chris proposed to Katherine earlier this year after about six months of dating. This will be his second marriage -- he just recently finalized his divorce with Anna Faris -- and it'd be Kat's first trip down the aisle herself.

TMZ Sports has obtained PROOF that Zion Williamson is, in fact, a human being ... stinkin' it up at the driving range to show he's not incredible at literally everything.

The ex-Duke superstar is obviously a one-of-a-kind freak athlete on the hardwood and he's shown he can throw a football into outer space ... but Z-Dub hit an L.A. golf course on Tuesday and shanked up a storm.

Look, he's definitely no John Daly ... but we gotta note that we have no idea how much he was trying or if he even cared to give it a good attempt.

So, next time you get down on yourself 'cause you can't dunk like Zion, just remember you're probably a better golfer than him.

As we previously reported, Williamson has been training in L.A. -- while wearing Nikes -- leading up to this month's draft ... enjoying his time on the west coast before he inevitably ends up in New Orleans.

Legendary golf coach Hank Haney is doubling down on offensive comments he made about the LPGA Tour ... writing Sunday after the U.S. Women's Open, "I knew a Lee would win."

Haney -- Tiger Woods' former swing coach -- was suspended from his radio gig at SiriusXM after he made insensitive comments about the number of Korean players competing in the LPGA.

"I couldn't name you like 6 players on the LPGA Tour," Haney said last Wednesday ... "Nah, maybe I could -- well, I'd go with Lee. If I didn't have to name a first name, I'd get a bunch of them right."

Haney added, "Honestly, Michelle Wie is hurt. I don't know that many. Where are they playing, by the way?"

The comments were immediately hit with backlash -- everyone from Michelle Wie to Tiger Woods himself blasted the guy -- and Haney was hit with an indefinite ban from his radio show as well.

But -- despite issuing MULTIPLE apologies in the ensuing days -- Haney appeared to DOUBLE DOWN on his comments on Twitter after Jeongeun Lee won the Open, writing in a now-deleted tweet, "I knew a Lee would win."

Haney added, "My prediction that a Korean woman would be atop the leaderboard at the Women’s U.S. Open was based on statistics and facts.”

Michelle Wie says she's straight-up "angry" over "racist and sexist" comments made by legendary golf coach Hank Haney ... telling the guy straight-up, "Shame on you!"

63-year-old Haney -- who was Tiger Woods' longtime swing coach -- went on his SiriusXM radio show Wednesday and made stunningly offensive comments about the number of Korean players competing in this weekend's LPGA U.S. Women's Open.

"I couldn't name you like 6 players on the LPGA Tour. Nah, maybe I could -- well, I'd go with Lee. If I didn't have to name a first name, I'd get a bunch of them right."

Haney added, "Honestly, Michelle Wie is hurt. I don't know that many. Where are they playing, by the way?"

Well, Michelle Wie heard the comments and was PISSED -- firing back on social media:

"As a Korean American female golfer, these comments that @HankHaney made disappoint and anger me on so many different levels."

Wie added, "Racism and sexism are no laughing matter Hank ... shame on you. I don’t ever do this, but this must be called out."

She also directed this at Haney ..."Too many of these girls, Korean or not, have worked countless hours and sacrificed so much to play in the US Open this week. There are so many amazing players in the field. Let’s celebrate them ... Not mock them."

For his part, Haney later issued an apology, writing, "This morning I made some comments about women's golf and its players that were insensitive and that I regret."

"In an effort to make a point about the overwhelming success of Korean players on the tour I offended people and I am sorry. I have the highest respect for the women who have worked so hard to reach the pinnacle of their sport and I never meant to take away from their abilities and accomplishments."

Haney added, "I've worked in this game with men and women players from many different cultures and I look forward to continuing to do so."

UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz still gets goosebumps when he sees other great athletes ... in fact, he TOTALLY fanboy'd when he saw Tiger Woods -- and it was all caught on video.

Tiger was hosting his annual Tiger Jam charity poker tournament at the MGM Grand in Vegas over the weekend ... when Tito started chatting up the golf legend.

At one point, Ortiz whipped out 2 passes from the 2019 Masters tournament -- which Tiger famously won -- and asked him to sign.

Tiger obliged and even posed for pics with Ortiz.

Afterward, Tito explained the connection ... saying he made his UFC debut in Augusta back in 1997, the same year Tiger won the Masters for the first time.

Tito also says he went back to Georgia in April and watched Tiger win again -- and clearly feels a connection with the guy.

FYI, Tito is 44 and Tiger is 43.

Tiger Woods didn't exactly have a poker face Friday night at his Vegas charity game.

Tiger and Russell Westbrook yukked it up during a game at the Whiskey Down saloon at the MGM Grand as onlookers gawked at the famous players.

Tiger organized the event -- called the Tiger Jam Experience -- for the TGR Foundation, which raises money for college access and educational opportunities for underserved students in the U.S. There's also a concert and a post-party and, of course, golf at Shadow Creek.

The legendary golfer has had his highs and lows in the last month. He won the Masters in epic form, he got the Presidential Medal of Freedom, but he's also being sued by the family of 24-year-old Nicholas Immesberger, an employee at his Jupiter, Florida who got extremely drunk after his shift ended and died after crashing his car.

3:54 PM PT -- Looks like the in-game no-kiss rule was the right call -- Brooks just won the 2019 PGA Championship. Congrats!!!

Pro golfer Brooks Koepka seems to be hyper-focused on winning another major this weekend -- even at the expense of a good luck kiss from his girlfriend, who he left hanging.

Brooks was getting ready for his final round at the PGA Championship Sunday when he was caught on camera walking side-by-side with his gal, Jena Sims ... who awkwardly tried going in for a smooch on the lips, only to quickly jerk away when she saw he wasn't into it.

If body language could talk, this right here would probably be saying ... "Nah, babe. Not now." It'd seem the snub is paying off for ol' Brooks -- he's leading the pack at under-8 as they wrap up the back 9.

It doesn't appear Jena took it personally, though. She even told Golf.com that she's not very discreet with her PDA so this might be par for the course for these two.

Kiss the trophy first, girlfriend second. #priorities

South African born athlete Nick Price gained international fame as a great golfer in the early '90s after he won two PGA Championships -- the first in 1992 at Bellerive Country Club ... and the second in 1994 at Southern Hills Country Club.

Nick Price's other major championship win was also in 1994 at the Open Championship where he squeaked out a one-stroke victory over Swedish golfer Jesper Parnevik.

Price was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in back in 2003.

Fun Fact: The winner's share for the 1992 PGA Championship was $280,000 ... while the winner's share for this year's championship is close to $2,000,000.

Schwing!!!

Tiger Woods is breaking his silence on a lawsuit that claims his restaurant is responsible for a man's death ... telling media members Tuesday, "It was a terrible, terrible night."

We broke the story ... the parents of Nicholas Immesberger just filed a lawsuit claiming their son was overserved booze at Tiger's, The Woods, restaurant in Jupiter, Florida ... and they say that led to his 2018 drunk driving death.

Tiger was asked about the incident during his PGA Championship press conference ... and Woods said, "We're all very sad that Nick passed away. It was a terrible, terrible night."

"A terrible ending and just we feel bad for him and his entire family. It's very sad."

24-year-old Immesberger worked as a bartender for the restaurant ... and his parents say he knew Tiger personally. In fact, they claim it was Tiger's girlfriend -- restaurant general manager Erica Herman -- who recruited him herself.

According to the suit, Immesberger finished a shift on Dec. 10, 2018 -- but stayed at the restaurant for hours where he was served alcohol to the point of "severe intoxication" before he was sent out to his car to drive home.

Immesberger crashed on his drive home and died in the accident. His blood alcohol level was a .256, more than 3 times the legal limit.

Now, at a press conference of their own Tuesday morning ... an attorney for Immesberger's estate and his parents believe Woods' restaurant DESTROYED video evidence showing Nick drinking at the bar for hours after his shift.

Immesberger's attorneys want Tiger, Erica and The Woods restaurant to be held responsible for the tragedy ... saying they all personally knew Immesberger had a problem with alcohol but allowed him to be overserved anyway.

Tiger Woods allowed his restaurant to overserve booze to a staffer who struggled with alcoholism, which led to his drunk driving death ... this according to a new lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports.

The parents of Nicholas Immesberger have filed the lawsuit -- claiming Nicholas had worked as a bartender at Tiger's The Woods restaurant in Jupiter, Florida ... and knew Tiger personally.

In fact, Immesberger's parents say he was recruited to the restaurant by general manager Erica Herman, who is also Tiger's girlfriend.

According to the suit, Immesberger finished a shift on Dec. 10, 2018 -- but stayed at the restaurant for hours where he was served alcohol to the point of "severe intoxication" before he was sent out to his car to drive home.

Immesberger crashed on his drive home and died in the accident. His blood alcohol level was a .256, more than 3 times the legal limit.

Now, his family is pointing the finger at Tiger, Erica and the restaurant ... claiming both Tiger and Erica KNEW Immesberger had a habitual problem with alcohol and allowed him to be served anyway.

The family claims Tiger is being sued individually because he "was directly responsible for ensuring that his employees and management ... were not over serving its employees/customers."

They also claim Tiger and Erica had been drinking with Immesberger just days before the fatal crash and "reasonably should have known" he was a "habitual drunkard."

According to the suit, filed in Palm Beach County by attorneys Craig Goldenfarb and Spencer Kuvin, the family is demanding Tiger, Erica and The Woods should be on the hook for everything from medical and funeral expenses to other "appropriate damages."

A driver was nearly imprinted into the back of Jameis Winston's head this week ... 'cause the Tampa Bay Bucs star QB let a guy hit a golf ball off the top of his dome!!!

It all went down earlier this week at Derrick Brooks' annual celebrity golf tournament in Florida ... when Jameis decided to be a prop for trick shot artist Trevor Consavage.

Jameis strapped on a helmet ... put a ball and a tee on his head -- and let Trevor take a huge wack!!!

Luckily for Bruce Arians and the entire city of Tampa ... the trick went off without a flaw -- apparently, Consavage CRUSHED the shot!!!

But, seems not everyone's entertained ... Jameis -- who's found himself in trouble often over the last few years -- has said repeatedly this offseason he's going to work on making smarter decisions.

Donald Trump has just presented Tiger Woods with the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- and joked about how the two always remember the good things ... and never the bad.

Tiger was emotional as he accepted the award in front of his family and girlfriend -- and choked back tears as he spoke about his late father.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award in the United States -- and is given to people who make an especially great contribution to American society.

Trump had announced Woods would be receiving the award after Tiger won the 2019 Masters in Augusta.

Trump couldn't have been more complimentary to Woods -- hailing the 43-year-old as an extraordinary athlete and "also a great guy."

Trump says Woods inspired millions of Americans with his thrilling victories on the golf course -- including that amazing win at the 2019 Masters ... which Trump described as an "incredible comeback" after all of the physical ailments he's dealt with over the years.

POTUS also said Woods is the embodiment of the American spirit -- "always striving for greatness."

Woods thanked his kids, his mother and his girlfriend -- and shouted out the people who stuck with him through "the good and the bad, the highs and the lows."

Unclear if he was specifically referencing golf -- or his other issues over the years.

Wayne Gretzky says he WANTS Alex Ovechkin to pass his all-time goals record ... telling TMZ Sports it would be GREAT for hockey!!!

"If he breaks it," The Great One says ... "I'll be the first guy there to shake his hand."

Of course, Gretzky owns the NHL's all-time mark for goals scored with 894 ... but Ovie ain't that far behind with 658.

In fact, if the 33-year-old Washington Capitals superstar averages 33.7 goals per season for the next 7 years ... he'd tie Gretzky by the time he's 40.

Doesn't seem like TOO difficult of a task -- Ovie's NEVER scored less than 32 goals in his entire 14-year career!!!

As for Ovechkin, he says he's actually gunnin' for the record -- telling NHL.com earlier this year, "I'm going to try to do it."

By the way, while we were on the subject of records ... Gretzky also told us he thinks Tiger Woods has a "great chance" to catch Jack Nicklaus' majors mark.

Forget coming back from a 2-year baseball career to win an NBA championship ... Michael Jordan says Tiger Woods' Masters victory last weekend is the greatest comeback of all-time!!!

"He had to change his game; he had to change his perspective a little bit," M.J. told The Athletic ... "To me, it was the greatest comeback I’ve ever seen."

Of course, Michael knows a thing or two about comebacks ... he ended a 2-year MLB career to return to the hardwood to win 3 straight NBA titles in the 1990s.

But, even Jordan admits that can't compare to what Tiger did this past weekend ... returning from all kinds of injuries and off-the-course issues to be the best golfer in the world again.

"I never thought he’d get back physically,” Jordan said ... “He didn’t think he’d get back physically. But he did it. No one expected him to be back the way he is now."

M.J. added, "He’s probably the only person who believed he could get back. To me, that’s a major accomplishment. To me, it’s unbelievable."

Jordan ain't the only one feeling that way ... everyone from Donald Trump to Tom Brady to Michael Phelps commented on their amazement over TW's 15th major championship win.

As for the debate between who's the greatest athlete of all time between Tiger and Jordan ... we actually asked Scottie Pippen that this week -- and you'll wanna hear his answer ...

The greatest swimmer of all-time wants Tiger Woods to become the greatest golfer of all-time ... 'cause Michael Phelps tells TMZ Sports he wants TW to catch Jack Nicklaus' majors record!!!

"I hope he gets to 18," Phelps says ... "I'll say that."

Of course, Phelps famously had a front-row seat to watch Tiger's historic 15th major win at the Masters this past weekend -- which left Tiger just 3 short of Nicklaus' 18 mark.

And, after seeing all that up close ... Michael seems to think it's very possible Tiger catches Nicklaus soon -- 'cause he's proclaiming Woods has officially returned to old Tiger form.

"Tiger's back," Phelps said out in New York on Wednesday ... "That's all I gotta say. He's back."

Good news for Phelps and El Tigre? We spoke with golf legend John Daly this week ... and he says he knows for a fact Tiger WILL break Nicklaus' record!!!