Golf

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!!!

Not many people know what it's like to balance parenthood with global mega-fame -- but Tiger Woods and Justin Timberlake do ... and JT says it's brought them closer together.

In fact, Timberlake just wrote about his friendship with Tiger for Time Magazine -- explaining how the two got to spend some time together last year and really bonded by "talking about being fathers."

Tiger has two kids -- 10 and 11 -- and JT has a 4-year-old son.

"We bonded over the fact that we wanted our children to watch us at our best," Timberlake wrote ... noting that his 4-year-old has just "started to realize what I do."

The coolest part of Justin's story -- Timberlake says in 2018 Tiger told him one of his biggest life goals was to win a major in front of his kids.

Fast forward to April 14 in Augusta ... Tiger wins The Masters and his kids are RIGHT THERE to give him a big 'ol hug.

Timberlake says he couldn't have been happier for his friend -- "What a dream come true."

"All the work he did when people weren't watching allowed him to hug his children on that same hallowed ground he hugged his father 22 years ago, amid all the adulation, a Masters champion once again."

Justin and Tiger have known each other for years and have golfed together a bunch of times.

Tiger has gone on the record praising JT's golf game -- saying the guy has a "beautiful swing" ... but needs to work on his short game if he REALLY wants to get to the next level.

John Daly tells TMZ Sports he KNOWS Tiger Woods is gonna break Jack Nicklaus' all-time major championships record ... saying, straight-up, it's fate.

"I not only think, I know he will," Daly tells us ... "It's just destiny."

Daly says like the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series and the Boston Red Sox breaking the Curse of the Bambino ... it's just bound to happen that Tiger passes Jack's 18 majors mark.

Of course, Tiger is only 3 shy of tying that record after his legendary Masters performance this past weekend ... but some are still wondering if Tiger can repeat that feat FOUR more times.

Daly certainly thinks so, saying, "I never thought he was gone ... I still feel like he's going to win Nicklaus' records and I've always believed in him."

As for if Tiger's historic comeback has Daly envisioning a comeback of his own ... John says not right now -- saying his knee is still pretty messed up after recent surgery.

By the way, Daly also tells us he has no issues with Donald Trump giving Woods the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- saying, "Tiger definitely deserves it."

IT'S ALREADY HAPPENING!!!!

Dustin Johnson and Paulina Gretzky's 1-year-old son is getting lessons on how to be hockey's next biggest thing ... from grandpa Wayne!!!

Paulina and D.J. posted the adorable vid of Rivers Johnson -- their youngest child -- with The Great One ... and we gotta say, it's hard not to see the resemblance.

Wayne and the little Gretzky did some stick handling drills ... with Rivers even gettin' a few past Grandpa!!!

Of course, Dustin and Paulina's kids (they have a 4-year-old son as well) have some tough choices to make when it comes to sports ... Dad is a pretty good golfer too.

President Donald Trump was so impressed with Tiger Woods amazing performance at The Masters -- he's giving the golfer the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The Medal is the highest award that can be awarded to a civilian in the United States and has previous recipients include Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Pope John Paul II, Bob Hope and more.

According to the White House, the Medal "recognizes those individuals who have made 'an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.'"

In his announcement (read: tweet), Trump said, "Spoke to @TigerWoods to congratulate him on the great victory he had in yesterday’s @TheMasters, & to inform him that because of his incredible Success & Comeback in Sports (Golf) and, more importantly, LIFE, I will be presenting him with the PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM!"

Trump and Tiger have been friends for years -- Tiger recently golfed with the President back in February at Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida.

Of course, Tiger's victory wasn't just impressive on its own -- but is being hailed as one of the greatest professional comebacks in all of pro sports considering he hadn't won a Major in over 10 years.

What's more interesting than watching Tiger Woods lock up a historic win at The Masters??

GOLF WITH THE PRESIDENT ... at least, that was the case for Dallas Cowboys legends Emmitt Smith and Tony Romo, who bailed on watching Tiger to play 18 with Barack Obama!!

It all went down somewhere in Texas this weekend ... when Emmitt, Romo, Barack and former Dallas mayor Ron Kirk hit the links for a round of golf.

Unclear who in the foursome took the win ... but odds favor Tony -- who's so good, he's set to play in next month's AT&T Byron Nelson Tournament with PGA pros.

As for ditching El Tigre ... don't worry -- seems the guys made it back in time to catch his unbelievable Masters victory, with Obama personally congratulating the golf legend.

"To come back and win the Masters after all the highs and lows is a testament to excellence, grit, and determination."

This is pretty cool ... Chris Paul was so proud of his pal, Tiger Woods, for winning the Masters on Sunday, he honored his friend with a pair of custom Tiger-themed kicks!!

Chris and the Houston Rockets took on the Utah Jazz after Tiger's comeback -- so, Paul decided to make a few alterations to his red CP3.12s to pay homage to the golfer.

BTW, Chris and Tiger have been friends for years -- with Chris previously crediting Woods with getting him into golf in the first place.

They've been spotted on various courses together several times in the past.

As for Paul, he won too -- the Rockets smashed the Jazz 122 to 90.

Unclear who actually crafted the custom Tiger shoes. We're looking into it.

Tiger Woods' professional golf comeback might very well be complete -- 'cause the dude just won the Masters for the first time since 2005 ... ending a 14-year drought for that tournament.

TW ended Sunday's back 9 at Augusta National Golf Club with a score of 5-under 67, putting him in first place ... which he sealed with a final short putt on hole 18 that drew tons of cheers from the massive crowd that was watching him. As he stroked the ball into the hole, commentators called it a "return to glory."

After knocking it in, Tiger did his signature fist-pump into the air ... although it wasn't as enthusiastic as the iconic one in 2005 (the last time he won it). Still quite a sight to behold though.

Tiger's win marks the fifth time he's won the Masters in his professional career -- just one big win away from tying golf legend Jack Nicklaus, who's got 6 Masters under his belt. Sunday's back 9 were so captivating, in fact, that it captured the attention of President Trump ... who told folks to tune in.

It's been quite a journey back to the top of the golf for Tiger. He won the PGA Tour Championship last September and has been perfecting his game ever since.

As you might know, Tiger suffered a big dip professionally after his sex scandal blew up in the late 2000s. He also got busted for DUI in 2017.

Here's the most insane golf shot you'll EVER see ... Jordan Spieth skipped a ball SEVEN times over the water in a pond -- and landed it within 10 feet from the hole!

It all went down Wednesday at The Par 3 Contest -- the prelude to this weekend's Masters tournament -- where pros are known to take it easy before they tee it up for real on Thursday at Augusta.

Jordan decided to put on a little show for fans ... heading down to the water for one of his tee shots -- and hitting a shot that required the ball to skip across the pond's water.

The golf ball took seven big hops along the surface of the water ... landed on the green ... and miraculously rolled about 10 feet from the pin!!

What's even crazier ... HIS SHOT ENDED UP CLOSER THAN THE OTHER TWO NON-TRICK SHOT TEE SHOTS!!!!!!

Spieth is one of the sport's biggest superstars -- he's a 16/1 favorite to win the green jacket this weekend -- so, not too surprising he's able to do something like this with a golf ball.