Tiger Woods slipped tampon to Justin Thomas after outdriving him at Genesis Invitational, sparking online backlash

Tiger Woods attempted to hand a tampon to competitor Justin Thomas at the Genesis Invitational on Thursday in what appeared to be some sort of trash-talking stunt.

The moment came after the two teed off on the ninth hole, with Woods significantly outdriving Thomas.

The prank was well-received by Thomas, who discarded the object as the two laughed and hugged on their way down the course. The two golfers are “good friends,” TMZ reported.

But backlash on Twitter and other parts of the internet ensued.

“See, it’s funny because feminine hygiene products are INHERENTLY emasculating, so when a man makes another man touch a tampon, he’s saying ‘I am a bigger and better man than you, because, GROSS, I made you touch a wrapped Tampax!’” tweeted lawyer Ann Olivarius.

“WHY did they think this was funny?” read another response from sports journalist Georgie Heath. “WHAT was the purpose of it? HOW are we supposed to remove any stigma around periods and menstrual health if top-level sportsmen are pulling stunts like this & giggling like school boys?”

The Genesis Invitational marked the first official tournament start for Woods since The Open Championship in July last year. After suffering serious leg injuries in a car accident two years ago, he has made sporadic appearances in tournaments throughout the recovery process.

He shot a two-under-par 69 on Thursday — five strokes back from tournament leaders Max Homa and Keith Mitchell. Thomas shot a three-under 68, according to CBS Golf leaderboards.

The second round began Friday morning and the tournament will wrap up Sunday, Feb. 19.