Marshals: Tiger Lied About Incident At The Players Championship

Marshals from The Players Championship say Tiger Woods lied about their role in a controversial action that pitted Woods against partner Sergio Garcia.

Two course marshals say that Woods lied when he claimed they gave him the OK to pull a club from his bag as Garcia was attempting a shot.

The action angered Garcia, who got into a war of words with his playing partner.

“It’s very simple,” Garcia said during an NBC interview Saturday. “You have to pay attention to what’s going on because the other guy is hitting. You do something when you’re in the crowd and the crowd is going to respond.”

Woods responded by saying the marshals allowed him to prepare his club.

“The marshals, they told me he already hit, so I pulled a club and was getting ready to play my shot,” Woods explained. “And then I hear [Garcia’s] comments afterward, and it’s not real surprising that he’s complaining about something.”

There’s something wrong with his story, however. The marshals say Woods lied.

“He didn’t ask us nothing,” marshal Gary Anderson said Sunday, according to a report by Sports Illustrated. “We didn’t say nothing. We’re told not to talk to the players.”

Chief marshal John North backed up Anderson’s account.

“Nothing was said to us and we certainly said nothing to him,” North said, according to Sports Illustrated. “I was disappointed to hear him make those remarks. We’re there to help the players and enhance the experience of the fans. He was saying what was good for him. It lacked character.”

Tiger ran into more controversy before the end of the tournament. Woods, who was penalized during the Masters for making an illegal drop, found himself in a similar situation today after the 14th hole when he knocked a shot into the water and took a drop.

NBC golf commentator Johnny Miller questioned the legality of Tiger’s drop, saying it appeared he took an unfair position.

While the marshals say Woods lied, Tiger got the last laugh on Garcia. The two were tied down the stretch, but Sergio imploded at the end, putting his ball in the water