Tiger Woods raises eyebrows with nickname for new | Golf News

Tiger Woods has ignited debate after referring to his new TGL teammate Akshay Bhatia with an uncommon nickname.

In an interview with ESPN before his workforce’s 8-3 defeat to New York Golf Club, Woods provided an sudden health update. However, it was his remarks about the latest addition that turned heads as Bhatia made his first look in the groundbreaking golf competitors.

“I don’t think we can play as bad as we did. We were the ‘Bad News Bears’ and we don’t want to be the ‘Bad News Bears 2’. The only way is up,” Woods told anchor Scott Van Pelt.

“We have got Ashtray, Akshay as part of our team. He brings that youth and excitement. Tom Kim is not here but he is a boatload of fun and then you have the two grandpas here in Kevin Kisner and myself, and Max Homa is in his prime. We have got a good line up.”

The moniker caught viewers off guard, with many unsure whether or not the golf legend had merely misspoken. One social media person commented: “Genuinely cannot tell if he was trying to make a joke or not.”

Another expressed displeasure, writing: “I had to change the channel cringe tv at its finest”, while a third observer questioned: “That’s gotta be an inside joke, right? His facial reaction would make it seem it was a full on Freudian slip.”

Bhatia, a two-time PGA Tour winner with Indian parentage, bypassed school to flip professional as a teenager and is now making waves on the tour. He reportedly declined a substantial offer from LIV Golf before agreeing to be a part of Woods at TGL.

Woods also commented on Brooks Koepka’s return to the tour after his stint with LIV Golf, emphasizing that he was ‘adamant’ about leaving the Saudi-backed league.

Woods said, “That says a lot about the PGA Tour, where we’re headed, what we have done, what we accomplished and the players who have stayed and who have supported the tour,”.

He added, “Having another world-class player that these guys are going to try and beat, that’s what the fans demanded. That’s what the fans wanted for our fan initiative program, and I think we’ve addressed that.

“We get a most likely top-three-of-his-generation participant back that went to another tour, performed over there, and was adamant about coming back right here and acquired out early to come back.”