PGA

Phil Mickelson says the insensitive comments he made recently about a new Saudi golf league were taken "out of context and without my consent" ... but the golf star is still issuing a mea culpa nonetheless.

Phil broke it all down in a lengthy statement on his social media page Tuesday ... just days after he admitted to supporting the formation of a new Saudi golf league, despite what he called the country's "horrible record of human rights."

"We know they killed (Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal) Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights," Mickelson said, according to The Fire Pit Collective.

"They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shape how the PGA Tour operates."

Phil went on to say that he believed the new Saudi league -- which was reportedly trying to sway top American golfers with millions of dollars in cash -- could force big and necessary changes on the PGA Tour.

While Phil said Tuesday the comments were "off record" and out of context -- he admitted that the words were offensive and regrettable regardless.

"It was reckless, I offended people, and I am deeply sorry for my choice of words," Mickelson said in his statement. "I'm beyond disappointed and will make every effort to self-reflect and learn from this."

He continued, "My intent was never to hurt anyone and I’m so sorry to the people I have negatively impacted. This has always been about supporting the players and the game and I appreciate all the people who have given me the benefit of the doubt."

Phil then hinted he could take a step away from the game for a while following the controversy ... saying he "desperately" needs "some time away."

Tiger Woods is back to playing pro golf again -- this after his nasty car wreck -- and he's doing alongside none other than his own ... both of whom have some ground to gain.

Round one of the PNC Championship is underway Saturday at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Grande Lakes in Orlando, where TW and Charlie Woods joined forces anew to play in a little father-son competition among other golfers and their kids.

As you can imagine, the fanfare was at an all-time high for the Woods family ... as this marks the first time Tiger has played in an actual tourney of any kind since getting crumpled in his automobile accident in February ... which left his legs shattered.

For Tiger's tee-off, everybody's eyes were on him ... and he hit a pretty decent shot to kick things off, with one guy clearly excited behind him -- shouting, "Welcome back, Big Cat!"

From there, Charlie started getting into his groove as well ... looking like a chip off the old block as he teed off himself with a beautiful drive -- which his dad later sunk with a putt.

From the outset, they were looking pretty good as a team ... but at the moment, they're well behind. As it stands, Team Woods is tied for 13th place as they approach the 11th hole. There's 36 holes total that they'll get through between today and tomorrow, and they're just past the midway point for today's round.

Basically, they're playing from behind right now ... but they have a ways to go before the day's out -- and could easily pull ahead, especially if they play as well as they have been thus far. And, as most everyone knows by now, never count Tiger Woods out.

Bigger picture though -- Tiger is looking fantastic out there ... as is his boy.

It's pretty miraculous to see the guy out here after everything he's been through. He addressed that before hitting the links, writing ... "Although it's been a long and challenging year, I am very excited to close it out by competing in the @PNCchampionship with my son Charlie. I'm playing as a Dad and couldn't be more excited and proud."

As you well know by now, Tiger's been on a long road of recovery since his February crash ... but steadily, he's been rehabbing and getting back onto golf courses. The only question now is ... will he eventually feel good enough to hop back into a solo PGA tournament???

Tiger Woods appears to be fully back ... the golf legend hit the range Friday with his son, Charlie, and seemed to have no limitations as he gears up for his first tourney since his crash.

The two Woods' smacked balls for around 20 minutes in preparation for Friday's pro-am as well as Saturday's PNC Championship ... and Dad was showing no signs that he had just suffered a significant injury back in February.

Tiger hit both his irons and his woods with ease ... with the ball jumping off of his clubs on every swing.

Of course, Tiger was also in coach mode -- watching Charlie's swing intently in between his own hacks.

Woods and Charlie then teed it up for their pro-am round -- and Tiger looked good there too, blasting his driver around 280 yards.

Tiger and Charlie are slated to tee off at the big event in Orlando, Fla. on Saturday afternoon -- and it'll officially mark the first time Tiger has participated in a tournament since he mangled his leg in a February car crash in Los Angeles.

Woods has said he'll be very picky with his events from here -- vowing to never be a full-time golfer again -- but ya gotta imagine if things go well this weekend, The Masters in April 2022 is not out of the question.

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.

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.

Golf fans will now have to find a new way to troll Bryson DeChambeau ... 'cause the PGA Tour just announced it will no longer allow fans to shout "Brooksy" at the star golfer.

At various tournaments throughout the past year, fans have ribbed Bryson with the jeer ... and he's hated it -- snapping at patrons nearly every time.

Of course, the shade is a nod to Bryson's beef with fellow golf star Brooks Koepka -- and it's something Koepka fans have gotten plenty of joy out of the last few months.

But, PGA Tour commish Jay Monahan said Tuesday the taunts will no longer be allowed ... calling the "Brooksy" remarks "disrespectful."

"The barometer that we are all using is the word 'respect,'" Monahan told reporters. "And to me, when you hear 'Brooksy' yelled or you hear any expression yelled, the question is, is that respectful or disrespectful?"

"It has been going on for an extended period of time, and to me, at this point, it's disrespectful. And that's the kind of behavior we're not going to tolerate going forward."

Monahan said the "Brooksy" comments -- and any other acts deemed disrespectful by fans -- will now result in a ban from events.

It's got to be refreshing for Bryson to hear ... 'cause just a few days ago, he reportedly told one fan to "Get the f*** out!" after the person had screamed "Great job, Brooksy!" at him.

Dude's been pretty good despite it all -- so, begs the question ... could the ban now lead to even better performances from the superstar going forward??

Patrick Reed -- one of the best golfers on the planet -- has been hospitalized ... after the PGA Tour star says he's been diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia.

The 31-year-old former Masters champ announced the scary news in a statement to Golf Channel's Todd Lewis ... saying, fortunately, all signs are pointing toward him getting back to 100 percent health soon.

"I'm on the road to recovery," said Reed, who had been battling an ankle injury before his bout with the serious lung infection. "Once I'm cleared from the doctors -- I look forward to returning [to golf]."

Reed added, "I wish you all the best and I can't wait to get back out there!"

Reed -- who's been in a Houston-area hospital since Friday -- has pulled out of this weekend's BMW Championship while he continues to fight off the pneumonia.

It's unclear if Reed's diagnosis was in any way related to COVID-19.

Reed has been one of the most consistent golfers on the PGA Tour the past few years ... famously winning the Masters in 2018 and the Farmers Insurance Open last January.

PGA champ Angel Cabrera -- who won The Masters in 2009 -- has been extradited back to his home country of Argentina ... where he's set to face charges of attacking 3 different women.

The 51-year-old golf star -- nicknamed "El Pato" -- was arrested in Brazil back in January after officials say he was considered to be a fugitive of justice after bailing on a meeting with prosecutors.

The women accusing Cabrera include 2 ex-girlfriends and his ex-wife.

As we previously reported, one of the women accused the golfer of punching her in the face, making threats and trying to run her over with his car in '16.

Another woman, Cabrera's ex-wife, Silva Rivadero, also reportedly filed two charges against the golfer ... including assault and threats.

Cabrera is already in custody in Argentina -- and his trial is reportedly slated for July.

And, get this ... Cabrera's defense isn't that he didn't attack the women, it's that the incidents weren't really that bad.

SERIOUSLY, THAT'S HIS DEFENSE!

Cabrera's attorney, Carlos Hairabedian, told TN Todo Noticias, "The accusations come from long ago ... and he was not in jail because the facts attributed to him are insignificant. They are light injuries."

WHAT?!?

Think Phil Mickelson is done celebrating his PGA Championship victory yet?!?

HELL NO ... Lefty's still going strong -- he chugged some fancy wine out of his Wanamaker Trophy on Tuesday -- all while Tom Brady egged him on!!!

Phil posted the fun footage on his Instagram account ... showing him getting in a celebratory sip of some red stuff despite being over a week removed from his epic win in South Carolina.

"Like, I know the wine is good," Phil said on video after taking the swig. "But, there's something about the Wanamaker that just gives it a little extra."

Phil added as a caption to the vid, "The wine had an extra ingredient this time - just a dash of VICTORY 😋 Tastes so good!"

Brady loved it all ... commenting on his pal's gloating, "Nothing like it Champ!"

Of course, Phil's had SO MUCH FUN since winning at the Ocean Course last month ... he's talked smack all over his social media and is showing no signs of slowing down his celebrations anytime soon.

As for the wine, it's some good stuff ... it's a bottle of Tor Kenward's Black Magic -- and it's so exclusive, one bottle has a price tag of $450!

It's PGA Championship weekend ... which means we're all dying to know one thing -- who's going to win?! WHO FARTED NEAR A HOT MIC ON THE BROADCAST?!?!?

Cameras and audio equipment appeared to pick up someone blowing the butt trumpet during the final hours of the 1st round of the prestigious tournament in South Carolina on Thursday ... and it's got everyone wondering, was that really a fart??

Check out the clip ... it sure sounds like someone broke wind all over the broadcast as Cam Smith was wrapping up his last putts on the course.

There sure seemed to be a loud toot ... that was followed by several more -- and then several more!!

ESPN broadcaster Scott Van Pelt wasn't fazed by the apparent cheese cutting -- he powered through the noise like a pro, breaking down Smith's first day at Kiawah Island despite it all.

So, will we ever know what really went down? Seems unlikely -- but the last time a pro golfer's fart was caught on a course mic, we solved that mystery quickly!

You'll recall, Ian Poulter admitted to TMZ Sports he was the one who tooted during the broadcast of the Travelers Championship in June ... telling us, "I guess it's one way to protect social distancing!"

Say goodbye to Johnny Football ... and say hello to Johnny FOOOOOREball -- 'cause Johnny Manziel says he's pursuing a career as a professional golfer!!!

The 28-year-old former Heisman Trophy winner revealed he's devoting the next 12 years of his life to golf ... in hopes of eventually making a PGA Tour event.

"I’m gonna grind this out and see how good I can get and see if I can’t enter in some tournaments, and see if I can’t try and go play professional golf eventually," Manziel said on Chris Long's "Green Light" Podcast.

"I think it is a very uphill battle, but that’s what I’m setting for my goals. I have 12 years to try and make a PGA Tour event."

Of course, Manziel is currently the QB for the Fan Controlled Football's Zappers ... but says it's just for fun, there's no plan to get back to the NFL.

As for golf, Manziel says he's been playing casually his whole life and wants to step his game up to the next level. Don't forget, when Johnny is locked in and focused, he's one of the most talented athletes in the world.

JM says he's a "work in progress" on the links -- and claims his current handicap is a 0 or a 1 ... which is certainly nothing to scoff at.

Johnny wouldn't be the first former Heisman to switch careers after stints in the NFL -- Tim Tebow most recently went from the gridiron to the baseball diamond before retiring last month.

Don't close the book on Tiger Woods' golf career just yet -- Dr. Oz STRONGLY believes Tiger can make a full recovery ... and could be back on the links in a year!

Woods suffered MAJOR damage to his right leg in the Feb. 23 car crash -- including comminuted open fractures (shattered bones that broke through the skin).

Dr. Oz compared the injury to NFL quarterback Alex Smith -- who also suffered a compound fracture of his tibia and fibula during a game in 2018.

Smith missed the 2019 season -- but returned to action in 2020 after multiple surgeries and serious rehab.

It's not an exact apples-to-apples comparison ... but it's close. And, Oz says Smith's case proves a shattered leg isn't career-ender anymore.

So, why is Dr. Oz so optimistic about Tiger's chances to recover, despite the fact he's 45 years old?

"He's had a bunch of surgeries and bounced back when no one thought he could," Oz says.

Plus, Tiger "had the luck of having his accident near a major trauma center with expertise in this area."

In other words, Tiger got top-level medical attention QUICKLY -- which bodes well for his chances of a full recovery.

"He still has the most important component to recovery which is mental resilience. This man can do what no one else can do. So with the strength of his mind and fortitude, I do think he'll be back and I think he'll come back to full speed."

Medically speaking, Oz says it'll be at least 6 months until Tiger's leg bones are "recovered to the original form" -- but he believes it will take around one year to build back the muscles in order to go out and golf again.

Justin Thomas -- one of the biggest stars in golf -- says he intends to enroll in a "training program" to help him be a better person after he used an anti-gay slur on a course earlier this month.

Thomas was on the 4th green during the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii on Jan. 9 ... when he missed a 5-foot par putt and muttered, "f*****."

Thomas immediately apologized after the round ... saying in a post-play interview, "There’s just no excuse. I’m an adult, I’m a grown man. There’s absolutely no reason for me to say anything like that."

Thomas, though, has faced huge backlash despite the mea culpa ... and on Wednesday, he said he intends to enter a training program to help him learn from it all.

"It’s not a word I use,” Thomas said, “but for some reason it was in there and that’s what I’m trying to figure out -- why it was in there."

“And like I said, it’s going to be part of this process and training program, whatever I need to do, not only to prove to myself but to prove to my sponsors and prove to the people who don’t know who I am that that is indeed not the person I am.”

The 27-year-old golfer declined to elaborate on what the program will entail ... saying only, "Obviously people are going to be a part of that process."

"But what I’m doing I’d like to keep internally and just go through the appropriate steps to get where I need to be and want to be, so people understand that’s not the person I am, the character I like to portray."

Thomas has lost sponsors over the incident ... with Ralph Lauren dropping the golfer last week after having a longstanding relationship with him.

Thomas said he was "upset" over losing the clothing company ... saying he wished they had stuck with him while he worked to fix his issues.

"I spoke with them, along with all my sponsors, and although I apologized, just like it was then it’s an opportunity for me to grow and I felt like it was something we could have done together and gone through that process," Thomas said.

"They just felt like they needed to move on so that’s exactly what I’m doing as well."

Another big loss for Donald Trump ... the PGA says it's now pulling a major golf event from one of the president's courses, explaining playing there "would be detrimental" to the brand.

The golf org. made the announcement Sunday -- formally shredding its plans to play the 2022 PGA Championship at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey in the wake of the riots at the U.S. Capitol.

"It has become clear that conducting the PGA. Championship at Trump Bedminster would be detrimental to the P.G.A. of America brand," PGA president Jim Richerson said in a video statement, "and would put at risk the PGA’s ability to deliver our many programs, and sustain the longevity of our mission."

Seth Waugh, the CEO of the PGA, further explained the decision to pull the event Sunday night ... telling the Associated Press it's all related to Trump's role in the unrest at the Capitol.

"Our feeling was given the tragic events of Wednesday that we could no longer hold it at Bedminster," Waugh said. "The damage could have been irreparable. The only real course of action was to leave.”

For Trump's part, POTUS' org. said in a statement it's "incredibly disappointed" with the PGA's decision ... adding, "This is a breach of a binding contract, and they have no right to terminate the agreement.”

FYI, the PGA Championship is one of golf's four biggest events every year. It was held at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco this year and won by Collin Morikawa.

It's unclear what course will now host the '22 event.

A SIXTH green jacket is well within reach for Tiger Woods ... the golf legend got off to a blazing hot start at the Masters -- and is now currently tied for 4th after finishing his 1st round!

44-year-old Tiger shot a super stress-free 68 -- carding zero bogies and four birdies -- and he now trails the leader, Paul Casey, by just three strokes heading into Day 2.

"That's the best I've seen him play in a long time," said golf superstar Michelle Wie, who commentated on Woods' entire round for ESPN on Thursday morning.

It's a great sign for Tiger, who hasn't exactly played his best golf since winning the Masters back in April 2019.

Woods hit 10 out of 14 fairways, 15 out of 18 greens and his average driving distance off the tee was over 280 yards.

If Tiger is able to put together three more solid days just like that ... he could very well walk away with his second straight Masters green jacket -- which would be his 6th overall.

Of course, that number would tie him for most Masters victories ever with Jack Nicklaus ... and would put him just 2 behind the Golden Bear's all-time record of 18 total majors.

It was TACO (and Sushi) TUESDAYYYYYY at The Masters this week ... Tiger Woods finally got to host his champions dinner at Augusta -- and he picked Mexican food and rolls for the occasion!

If you're unfamiliar ... every year at golf's most prestigious tournament, the past year's winner gets to host previous champs for a feast before tee times begin.

Normally, it all goes down in April -- and it's LAVISH -- but because of COVID, Tiger had to wait 7 months to do the honors.

Don't worry, Tiger still was able to get in an April celebration ... remember his backyard Masters dinner with his kids and GF???

But, when the time finally came for Woods to do the real thing on Tuesday before the major tourney begins in Georgia ... he sure as hell delivered.

Tiger picked an exotic menu ... there was an Augusta Roll (featuring tempura shrimp and spicy tuna), and prime steak and chicken fajitas.

For dessert, Tiger offered up flan, churros and sopapillas. He even had everyone wash it down with some fancy red wine!!

Seemed like it was all a hit ... Jack Nicklaus tweeted of the evening, "Mr. Woods has gotten a lot of practice at picking a menu. 💯"

The Masters officials say the dinner was pared down this season to help prevent the spread of COVID ... explaining only 33 people were allowed to attend.