Golf

Phil Mickelson nearly missed his tee time due to his hotel catching on fire from a lightning strike -- but hey, at least he lived to tweet about it.

The golf legend documented the scary incident on Twitter Sunday morning, saying he and a bunch of other guests were evacuated near Medinah, IL -- where Phil's participating in the BMW Championship as part of the FedEx Cup Playoffs -- after their hotel got hit by a lightning bolt ... which apparently sent part of the facility up in flames.

Phil wrote, "How’s this for crazy? My hotel was struck by lighting, I was on top floor,we were evacuated and the place is on fire(only thing of mine on fire this week.) I can’t get back into my room and may miss my tee time because I am without clubs and clothes."

His fourth-round tee time (with Brooks Koepka and Dylan Frittelli) was scheduled for 11:52 AM ET, and he was being shuffled out of his hotel a little more than an hour before that.

Luckily for him, Phil reportedly made it to the tee just in the nick of time -- and was later escorted back to his room and was able to retrieve his gear. Phil shouted out the EMTs who helped, writing ... "EMT's were awesome! I'm going to make it. Turns out my clubs acted as a fire retardant. Lucky me."

Now, the bummer ... Phil isn't doing too hot in the tournament right now -- he's in 47th place as of this writing ... and it'll be an uphill climb to break into the top 30 he needs to be in to move on.

Also important ... it doesn't sound like Phil notified his family of the emergency, including his ma -- which his sister, Tina, made him well aware of on Twitter.

President Trump does NOT cheat on the golf course ... so says golf legend John Daly, who golfed with POTUS this week.

Trump's honesty on the golf course has been called into question many, many times in the past ... with former golf partners like Samuel L. Jackson and Oscar De La Hoya flat out saying they witnessed Trump cheat.

Rick Reilly even wrote a book -- a freakin' book -- about Trump's alleged cheating.

But, John Daly -- who's been friends with the Prez for years and golfed with him at Trump National in NJ on Monday -- tells TMZ Sports, it just ain't true.

"It's funny how these people say, 'does he cheat?' Well, when he goes out and plays, if he hits a bad shot, he might hit a Mulligan, but he doesn't count it when we're playing the match."

For those not down with the golf lingo ... a mulligan is essentially a redo after a bad shot.

The 2-time Majors winner doubled down, and called out someone else who was in the Oval Office.

"It's just amazing that people call him a cheat in golf. You wanna call a cheat in golf? I'll tell ya, Bill Clinton, he took a Mulligan on putts, chips, when I played with him."

"I don't think Bill Clinton could've broken 100. At least the President, Mr. Trump, he can shoot 80. 78 to 84, probably."

There's more ... Daly gives us his U.S. Presidents golfer power rankings -- and tells us what him and Trump discussed on the links.

President Trump hit the links with one of his biggest athlete supporters on Monday ... golfing with PGA pro John Daly!!

... and just by looking at Daly's patriotic pants, you can tell the dude was stoked to crush some balls with POTUS.

The duo met up at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, NJ ... and Daly -- a HUGE Trump supporter -- is calling it "one of the greatest days of my life!"

Trump clearly enjoyed the meetup as well ... tweeting out praise to the golfer, saying "Thank you John, you are a special guy!"

Daly continued ... "I’m proud to be an AMERICAN, especially w/ this man leading our country!" ... followed by a bunch of hashtags like "#potus #dad"

Michelle Wie got hitched to an NBA legend's son over the weekend ... exchanging vows with Jonnie West at a star-studded ceremony in L.A.!!!

The golf superstar and Warriors Director of Basketball Operations -- who got engaged back in March -- tied the knot in front of their closest family and friends, including tennis pro Genie Bouchard and fellow golfer Danielle Kang.

"MR. AND MRS. WEST Y’ALL!!!!," Michelle said in an Instagram post. "I love you HUSBAND with every living thing in my body and I didn’t think I could love you any more, but then I saw you at the end of the aisle and my heart exploded."

Best part of the whole shindig??? Wie's dad straight-up GETTING it on the dance floor at the reception.

Pro golfer Thorbjorn Olesen was arrested at Heathrow Airport in London on Monday after allegedly sexually assaulting a woman mid-flight ... and then PEEING in the aisle.

Officials say 29-year-old Olesen -- who placed 6th at the 2013 Masters -- was a drunken menace on his flight from Nashville to London ... screaming at passengers and acting like a moron.

The most serious allegation is the alleged molestation of a female passenger. The details surrounding that particular incident is unclear.

During the hellish flight, a witness told The Sun ... Olesen began urinating right in the aisle of the 1st class cabin.

Olesen was traveling with fellow PGA star Ian Poulter -- the two had competed in the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in Memphis over the weekend.

Poulter reportedly tried to diffuse the situation during the flight ... and when he felt Olesen was under control, he decided to take a nap.

But, when he woke up, Poulter's rep says the golfer learned about the wild allegations against his fellow golf pro. In other words, Poulter feels he doesn't deserve a single ounce of blame.

The Met. Police Dept. (the agency which took Olesen into custody in London) tells TMZ Sports Olesen was booked on several charges including "suspicion of sexual assault, being drunk on board an aircraft and failing to comply with the orders of cabin crew."

We also reached out to British Airways, which said, "Our customers and crews deserve to enjoy their flights, and not to suffer any form of abuse."

"This sort of behaviour (they used the "u") will not be tolerated, and the appropriate action will always be taken."

Olesen was eventually released from custody and the incident is currently under investigation.

For what it's worth ... Olesen finished 27th in the tournament over the weekend and tweeted, "Not much to say, other than I’m pretty disappointed with today’s performance!"

"Now for some time off and practice to get things right."

File under: "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR DAMN MIND!?"

NHL great Jeremy Roenick -- known for his crazy-powerful slap shot -- decided to tee up a golf ball in his caddy's mouth Thursday ... and the video -- taken by a fan -- is INSANE!!!!

It all went down at the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe -- a celeb packed golf tourney.

Roenick was getting some practice in on the 7th hole when someone came up with the idea to put a tee in his caddy's mouth to see if the former Flyers star could pull off John Daly's famous party trick! 

Here's where it gets crazy ... the caddy was so nervous, he kept moving the tee around in his mouth, causing the ball to fall off multiple times while Roenick was getting ready to swing!!

But, the 49-year-old NHL great kept his composure ... kept his concentration ... and when it came time to swing, he CRUSHED IT! 

It might look easy, but do NOT try this at home -- we've seen stunts like this go south ... just as Playboy model Liz Dickson whose butt was obliterated by a radio DJ with a terrible swing. 

Luckily for JR's caddy, Roenick had better aim. 

G-strings ain't just for chicks ... just ask golf superstar Brooks Koepka! 

The #1 ranked PGA player in the world decided to thong out for a friend's birthday party in Florida on Friday -- and it's clear ... dude ain't shy about it!!!

The 29-year-old butt-flossed up and bared his bod while drinking beer on a PonTiki boat in South Florida ... and tested the thong durability when he jumped off into the water.

The theme of the party seemed to be some sort of redneck vibe -- at one point, Brooks was rockin' a shirt that read, "Save a Horse, Ride a Cousin."

BK's hot girlfriend, Jena Sims, got in on the costume fun -- sporting a bathing suit inspired by that neon green man-thong from "Borat."

Tiger Woods is no longer a defendant in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a former employee at Tiger's Florida restaurant, who died last year in a DUI crash.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the estate of Nicholas Immesberger sued The Woods -- along with Tiger and his girlfriend, Erica Herman, the restaurant's GM -- claiming Nicholas was overserved alcohol at the restaurant in the hours before the crash.

In the original suit, the Immesberger estate claimed Nicholas -- who was a bartender -- stayed after a shift on 12/10/2018 and was served to the point of "severe intoxication" before being allowed to get in his car and drive. He crashed and died shortly after.

The family claimed Tiger and Erica knew Nicholas personally -- knew he had an alcohol problem -- and should never have allowed him to be served alcohol.

But, Tiger's attorney, Barry Postman, says the family has had a change of heart when it comes to Woods personally ... and have voluntarily dismissed his name from the lawsuit.

"The decision was clearly appropriate and reflected the fact that Mr. Woods should not have been included in the lawsuit in the first place because he had nothing to do with Mr. Immesberger's death,'' Postman said in a statement.

"While the situation was tragic, the facts will ultimately show that the cause of Mr. Immesberger's car accident were the many decisions made by Mr. Immesberger on the night of his passing.''

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