Personal Injury Law

Tiger Woods, Golf and Food Poisoning

By Bill Marler, Esq.

Seems like everyone is dumping on Tiger - for good reason I might add.  I, however, am not a golfer and frankly do not care much about golfers.  So, trying to get into the act myself, I have been attempting to make Tiger relevant (somewhat) to what I do daily or is that Daly?  So, as I puttered around for ideas, I "googled" "Tiger Woods and Food Poisoning."

Well, the first thing I found was the story, "Tiger Woods' mother in law Barbro Holmberg 911 call - 2009," because she was thought to have had food poisoning.  Given what has been going on in Tiger's house, I can imagine why she might be sick to her stomach.

Poisoning your mother in law, or the thought of it anyway, has a long tradition.  Yet, in my "googling" I found that food poisoning has a long history with golf as well.  In 1953 President Eisenhower had to skip church and call off a golfing date With Sen. Taft because of food poisoning - "President Still Feels Food-Poisoning Effects." 

In the late 1980's,  Lee Trevino's task was made easier when he learned that Floyd had come to the golf course suffering from food poisoning, which Floyd attributed to a spaghetti dinner at a restaurant Saturday night. Trevino said Floyd vomited in the locker room minutes before the round and was driving the ball 20 yards shorter than normal - "GOLF; Trevino Has Stomach for Victory." 

In 2003, David Toms was in the hospital with food poisoning. He hardly slept all night, he was still extremely weak this morning, and he thought about withdrawing from the Accenture Match Play Championship (wasn't Tiger the pitchman?) - "GOLF; Toms Is Able to Overcome Food Poisoning and Cejka." 

More recently, in 2009 Phil Mickelson was ravaged by an apparent bout of either food poisoning or a virus that left him unable to eat from Friday until yesterday and sending him to the urgent care center Saturday night for two bags of IV fluids - "Michelson Beats Food Poisoning."

Even Tiger himself was getting some action (food poisoning).  At one tournament in 2003, Tiger was sickened by some bad pasta that caused him to vomit through the night and a rainy Sunday, Woods still managed to win the Bay Hill Invitational for the fourth straight year by going the final 44 holes without a bogey and winning by 11 strokes - "Woods battles illness, rain to win by 11 strokes."

Vomiting and Golf - perhaps that is why they have those large golf bags?  Anyone have any other golfer and food poisoning stories?

Full post as published by Marler Blog on December 17, 2009 (boomark / email).