Tiger Woods Slammed After ‘Spitting His Way Around Muirfield’

There are many reasons why Tiger Woods may not be everyone's favourite sports star, but there is one that will not seem to go away: his habit of spitting.

The world number one upset many spectators at the Open Championship on Sunday with his persistent spitting around the course, and TV viewers were also quick to register their disgust on social media.

It is not the first time that Woods has been caught in the act, so to speak. He vowed to "be more respectful" in 2010 after a spitting incident. In 2011 he followed that with a heavy fine for having been seen spitting on the 12th green at a European Tour event in Dubai.

At the time, Woods conceded in a Twitter post: "It was inconsiderate to spit like that and I know better. Just wasn't thinking and want to say I'm sorry."

Of the incident, Sky TV's Ewen Murray said of Woods: "It doesn't get much lower than that.

"There are some parts of him that are just arrogant and petulant. Somebody now has to come behind him and maybe putt over his spit."

Murray also famously described Woods spitting on a green in 2011 as "one of the ugliest things you will ever see on a golf course."

Well, this issue has sadly reared its head once more at the weekend with Woods lambasted on social media for "spitting his way round Muirfield" while his widely popular and cheerful compatriot Phil Mickelson won his first Open title.

Under the code a player can be fined between £250 and £10,000 for a "minor breach", as Woods's spitting has been deemed in the past.

But such financial penalties hardly mean much to a man once declared golf's first billionaire and who has reportedly received $3m appearance fees for turning up to single events in Dubai over the years.

Aside from memories of his infamous televised "apology" in the wake of revelations about his personal life, Woods's conduct on the course continues to be questioned.

With yet another case of spitting turning much of the general public against him once more, has Tiger's halo slipped again?

The question also needs to be asked: do golfers really need to be spitting at all anyway? Do sportsmen and women have any real need to do so in a wider context?

Certainly in the sport of golf, Tiger appears to be very much on his own in this.