Tiger Woods revealed he arrived at Royal Troon following a sleepless flight induced by the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
The 15-time major winner was flying from Florida to Scotland Saturday night for the 152nd Open Championship, which takes place at Royal Troon later this week, when the former President was shot at.
The 48-year-old admitted he wasn’t as fresh as he would have liked for his first practice round Sunday as he was engrossed by the coverage of the incident rather than catching up on his rest on the flight across the Atlantic.
‘I didn’t accomplish a lot because I wasn’t in the right frame of mind,’ Woods told BBC Sport Tuesday.
‘It was a long night [because of the assassination attempt] and that’s all we watched the entire time on the way over here.
Tiger Woods reveals he couldn’t sleep after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump
Trump was left bleeding from his ear after being shot on stage at a rally on Saturday
‘I didn’t sleep at all on the flight, and then we just got on the golf course.’
Trump was left bleeding from his ear after being shot on stage at a rally in a horrific attack by a would-be assassin, later identified as 20-year-old Thomas Crooks.
A barrage of rifle rounds rained down shortly after the former president got up to speak on Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, wounding Trump in the ear and 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing retired fire chief Corey Comperatore.
Two other supporters were critically injured by stray bullets in the assassination attempt.
Trump was pictured repeatedly pumping his fist with blood dripping from his face while being swarmed by Secret Service agents. Moments later, he was rushed away to safety.
Woods has rarely engaged in politics during his career, preferring to remain publicly apolitical but he did reveal in 2018, during Trump’s term in office, that he had known the former president for a number of years before he took office.
‘I’ve known Donald for a number of years. We’ve played golf together. We’ve had dinner together. I’ve known him pre-presidency and obviously during his presidency,’ Woods told New York Times reporter John Branch.
At the time, he was further pressed about his relationship with Trump in light of the Republican candidate’s policies on immigration.
Woods accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom from the former president in 2019
‘Well, he’s the President of the United States. You have to respect the office,’ he responded.
Woods also accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump in 2019 at a time when many athletes were shunning invitations to the White House.
However, Woods has also golfed across the aisle as well. He has reportedly hit the fairways with former president Barack Obama, whose election as the first African-American president in 2008 was hailed as ‘incredible’ by the golf legend.
‘I think it’s absolutely incredible,’ Woods told CNBC, per ESPN, at the time. ‘He represents America. He’s multiracial.
‘I was hoping it would happen in my lifetime. My father was hoping it would happen in his lifetime, but he didn’t get to see it. I’m lucky enough to have seen a person of color in the White House…He would have cried. Absolutely. No doubt about it.’
Meanwhile, Woods took center stage Tuesday as he addressed the media ahead of the final major championship of the year where targets a coveted 16th victory.
However, while Woods still believes he has a shot at major triumph, insisting time again that he wouldn’t turn up at a tournament if he didn’t believe he could be competitive, this year’s results spell out a different story.
The golf icon missed the cut at both the PGA Championship and the US Open and while he battled through to the weekend at the Masters, he finished in 60th and last place.
The 15-time major winner is preparing to play in The Open Championship at Royal Troon
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Yet, Woods fixed his glare on those who asked him why we could expect anything different in the coming days on a course that he conceded will ‘eat you up’ if conditions turn.
‘I’ll play as long as I can play and I feel like I can still win the event,’ he said, brusquely.
When asked whether his belief has wavered, he was even more economical with his words. ‘No,’ came the blunt reply.
Woods has played just nine competitive rounds through 2024 but will still be the main attraction in Ayrshire this week.
‘I wish I had a little bit more under my belt but I’ve been battling some stuff physically,’ he said.
‘I want to save it for the majors. I don’t want to burn myself out pre-major and not be able to play.’
