Los Angeles, California - Legendary golfer Tiger Woods has apologized after causing quite a stir online because of an inside joke involving a tampon at the Genesis Invitational.

Wood's run at this week's Genesis Invitational golf tournament may not be going as well as the 47-year-old hoped. He finished at the back of the pack after two rounds of play on Friday, as he made his return to top-level action for the first time since July.

But the sport itself took a back seat at the competition when Woods handed fellow athlete Justin Thomas a tampon after out-driving him on Thursday. The gesture was meant as a joke.

Thomas immediately dropped the hygiene product, and Woods could be seen laughing as he put his arm around his playing partner.

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Wood's joke might have made the two athletes laugh, but it didn't go over well on social media, as Tiger was trending on Twitter for all the wrong reasons.

He then backpedaled.

Many Twitter users were not amused by Wood's tampon joke, feeling the prank was disrespectful to women.

Sports columnist Christine Brennan wrote in USA Today, "It has been the go-to line of silly, often insecure boys for generations: You play like a girl.

"Really, Tiger? What a bizarre thing for a 'girl dad' to do."

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Woods has since apologized, saying, "It was supposed to be all fun and games, but obviously it hasn't turned out that way.

"It was just fiends having fun ... If I offended anybody in any way, shape or form, I'm sorry."

He added, "It was not intended to be that way. It was just, we play pranks on one another all the time and virally, I think this did not come across that way, but between us, it was different."

Many Twitter users didn't seem willing to forgive and forget so easily.

Woods had taken a break from most PGA tournaments while recovering from leg and foot injuries he incurred following a major car accident in February 2021. He will head to the third round of play in the Genesis Invitational on Saturday.