Tiger Woods was back in the public eye Friday night, smiling on the sidelines at Stanford Stadium in his first appearance since receiving a five-year driving ban.
The 15-time major winner made the trip to his former university as Stanford hosted the Miami Hurricanes in a college football showdown, just days after his appearance in court.
Woods, wearing a white Stanford cap and a wool quarter-zip from his Sun Day Red apparel line, looked at ease as he laughed and exchanged words with staff members near the field.
The golf icon appeared relaxed and in good spirits while taking in the pregame atmosphere, and he was also seen chatting with West Coast rap legend E-40 before kickoff.
Still, the game came with an unusual twist for Woods, whose rooting interests were not entirely straightforward.
Although Woods is among Stanford’s most famous sporting alumni after winning 11 college tournaments before launching his professional career, his current personal life has created strong connections to Miami through his relationship with Vanessa Trump.
Tiger Woods was seen on the Stanford Stadium sideline on Friday night
The 15-time major champion was back at his alma mater for Stanford’s college football matchup
It marked his first public appearance after being hit with a five-year driving ban
Vanessa’s 19-year-old daughter, Kai Trump, recently moved to South Florida to begin her freshman year as a collegiate golfer for the University of Miami.
The granddaughter of Donald Trump has regularly documented her move on social media, sharing snaps in Hurricanes gear as she begins her collegiate golf career.
On Friday night, it was Kai’s new school that walked away with all the bragging rights, as Miami blew out Woods’ beloved Stanford Cardinal in a 45-6 rout.
The outing marked a stark change of scenery from Wednesday morning, when Woods appeared alongside Vanessa to resolve his criminal case stemming from a March 27 crash near his Jupiter Island estate.
Woods’ girlfriend held hands with him at the Martin County Courthouse in a show of public solidarity as he finalized his plea deal over a March rollover crash.
Woods pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of reckless driving and refusal to submit to testing, avoiding jail time after entering a plea agreement.
As part of the deal, Woods will have his license suspended for five years.
President Trump declared Woods’s plea deal ‘very fair’ as he weighed in on the matter, just one day after the golf legend discovered his fate from the ordeal.
He appeared relaxed and upbeat as he soaked in the action and was also seen in conversation with West Coast rap icon E-40 before the action got underway
Sporting a white Stanford cap and a wool quarter zip from his own brand ‘Sun Day Red’, Woods was seen laughing and chatting with staffers on the sidelines
It marked a stark change of scenery from Wednesday morning, when Woods appeared alongside girlfriend Vanessa Trump to resolve his criminal case
However, the matchup presented an awkward clash of loyalties for the golf legend – given Kai Trump is set to begin her freshman year as a collegiate golfer for the University of Miami
He added: ‘But I think he’s going to have somebody drive him. I told him that a long time ago: ‘Why don’t you get somebody to drive you’
‘So he’s going to have somebody drive him from now on. He’s just a very special guy and I’m glad that was resolved.’
Trump added: ‘It’s a very tough situation because they didn’t find alcohol on him. You know, he didn’t test positive at all for alcohol. It’s a tough deal when you’re taking a painkiller because you’re under pain… and you have a problem and you test positive.’
The 15-time major champion was found at the scene of the crash in Jupiter, Florida, with two opioid tablets in his pocket, on March 27.
He has since spent time in rehab in Switzerland but had not been seen publicly since arriving back in America until last month.
According to police, Woods was driving at a high speed along a beachside road when his Land Rover clipped a tractor-trailer truck and rolled onto its side, causing about $5,000 worth of damage to the other vehicle.
