After a bad miss with a 4-iron into the par-5 15th hole on Friday, Woods hit a poor tee shot with a 9-iron on the par-3 16th. He let the club fall from his hands, then turned in anger and kicked it some 15 yards.
The tantrum received plenty of attention at Augusta National, and it prompted CBS Sports analyst Nick Faldo to say that Woods had ”lost his game … and lost his mind.”
According to tour policy, players can be disciplined for conduct unbecoming a professional even at tournaments that are co-sponsored or approved by the PGA Tour, such as the major championships.
A person close to club operations said no one from the tournament had talked to Woods about his behavior in the second round. He spoke on condition of anonymity because club matters are private.
After finishing his round Saturday with an even-par 72, Woods said he was sorry when asked about the incident.
”I apologize if I offend anybody by that but I’ve hit some bad shots. It’s certainly frustrating at times not to hit the ball where you need to hit it,” he said. ”I certainly heard that people didn’t like me kicking the club. But I didn’t like it, either. I hit it right in the bunker. Didn’t feel good on my toe, either.”
The tour has three categories of penalties – minor (fines not more than $10,000); intermediate (fines between $10,001 and $20,000); major (in excess of $20,000).
