Johnny Manziel Tells The Story Of Tiger Woods Denying Him His Autograph
Image via Golf Digest
Before Johnny Manziel took over College Station, won the Heisman, and got drafted by the Cleveland Browns, he was just an average American kid who was infatuated with sports. Not only did Johnny toss around the pigskin growing up, but he loved the game of golf–especially the biggest star in the game, Tiger Woods. During a recent interview, which is set to appear in the December issue of Golf Digest, Manziel tells the story of the first interaction he had with his golf hero.
From Golf Digest:
[I was] About 9 or 10. My dad played in a member-guest at Isleworth every year with a friend, and we’d take our family vacation to Orlando. One day I ended up playing with a bunch of kids at the house of Thurman Thomas [Pro Football Hall of Famer], of all people. I think he was friends with some of our family friends. Somehow we heard that Tiger was out playing on a nearby course [The Golden Bear Club at Keene’s Pointe], so another guy and I ran out there looking for him. it was a really quiet day. Tiger was playing a practice round all by himself.
We saw Tiger on the 16th hole and asked for his autograph, and he said to catch him right after the round. I was sitting about 100 yards from the 18th green, and he drove by in a cart and was pulling his hat really, really low. I remember him saying, “No autographs today.”
We’ve all been there. You grow up idolizing some ball player, actor, or musician, and you’re crushed to find out he or she is a complete dick in real life.
Still, it’s funny to think of little Johnny with his Scotty Cameron putter in hand, patiently waiting for Woods at the eighteenth, only to have Tiger blow by him in a golf cart mumbling “Not today, kid.”
Sounds like classic Tiger.
Feel free to share the worst interactions you’ve had with athletes in the comment section. Just let the pain out, gentlemen..
Tiger stayed at my dad’s hotel back in the late 90s or early 2000s. Took a picture and signed it for my dad. Couldn’t have been nicer, but I can see him being a dick around the golf course
11 years ago at 7:34 pmBill Murray owns our local minor league NYY affiliate ball club, and at one game it started pouring, think like Day After Tomorrow type shit, so everyone goes under the onnings at the top of the stands, and it’s packed, except one guy, he’s sittingn by himself in the rain. And then like five minutes go by and Bill Murray goes and sits with him for the whole game, and it was a damn downpour. Turns out the guy had severe anxiety and isn’t comfortable around crowds and this was the first time he had gone out in a crowd for like a year, but he said he couldn’t be under the onning that close to everyone, and ever since then if the guy ever goes to a game he is allowed to sit in Bills suite, and bring whoever he wants. Bill Murray is a class act, everyone in Charleston loves the guy.
11 years ago at 2:30 pm