Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Sergio Garcia was forced to apologize for a comment he made about Tiger Woods that some interpreted as racist.

As backdrop: The two golfers have never been warm and fuzzy.

But tensions rose Tuesday evening when Garcia took the stage at the European Tour’s awards dinner and fielded a question from a joking reporter: Would he have dinner with Tiger Woods during the upcoming U.S. Open?

“We will have him round every night,” Garcia said, as The Telegraph reported. “We will serve fried chicken.”

Garcia left the dinner and subsequently sent out a statement through the European Tour: “I apologize for any offense that may have been caused by my comment on stage during The European Tour Players’ Awards dinner. I answered a question that was clearly made towards me as a joke with a silly remark, but in no way was the comment meant in a racist manner.”

In 1997, Fuzzy Zoeller made a similar crack when Woods won the Masters and earned the privilege of choosing the dinner menu for the next year.

Zoeller said, as The Telegraph reported: “You pat him on the pack and say congratulations and enjoy it and tell him not to serve fried chicken next year. Got it? Or collard greens or whatever the hell they serve.”

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