When Things Almost Got Ugly: Tiger Woods Was Once Stalked by a Heckler With a Gun

Tiger Woods has transformed golf and made it a popular sport worldwide. Moreover, the 46-year-old golfer has 82 PGA Tour titles and 15 major victories in his career. Before his debut, people considered golf a slow and elderly man’s sport. However, Tiger, with his unfathomable golfing skills, changed the perception of everyone and popularized this sport, especially among the younger audiences. 

Woods turned pro in 1996 and was a dominating force on the PGA Tour until 2010. However, after 2010, the upheaval in his personal life and complex injuries reduced his dominance. Despite that, fans still love and respect the legendary golfer. However, in 1999, there was an incident where police caught a fan following the Tiger group with a gun. 

A fan once carried a gun while following Tiger Woods at the Phoenix Open

Tiger Woods was an emerging star in 1999. He had already historically won a major championship in 1997. Hence, everyone knew this golfer would make it big in his career. So, during the 1999 Phoenix Open, Tiger was paired with Rocco Mediate and Rucker. And a huge crowd was following this pair, including Brian Murphy, an air force veteran. 

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And while the group was on the sixth hole, the police came to know about Murphy’s gun. He was carrying a gun in his fanny pack. Hence, most people thought he would use it to heckle Tiger. However, he had no intention of threatening or causing harm to any player. But the officers arrested him as they wanted to make sure the situation was under control and safe. 

Moreover, the three golfers later revealed that they never felt threatened. And as they walked past the officer who arrested Murphy, they had a “What are you doing to that poor guy” look. 

Meanwhile, Tiger then went on to win the PGA Championship a few months later. And he created a launch pad for himself to become one of the greatest golfers of all time. Recently, he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, which is an incredible achievement. 

However, Woods is recovering from a horrific solo car crash. Even though he has made a good recovery and has competed in three major events this year, he is still struggling to get back his rhythm and fitness.

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